


Our Favorite Little Crow

by Spacepeeps



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Adorable Hinata Shouyou, Developing Friendships, Everyone Loves Hinata Shouyou, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Hinata Harem, Hinata Shouyou & Everyone Friendship, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Hinata Shouyou is a Good Friend, Hinata Shouyou-centric, Hinata Shouyou/Everyone-centric, Hinata has a Harem, Hinatas too likable for his own good, Oblivious Hinata Shouyou, Protective Everyone, Protective Kageyama Tobio, Protective Karasuno Volleyball Club, Protective Team, Sleepovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Volleyball, Yes it's a thing, everyone is literally hinata sexual, he deserves the world, hinata shouyou is in a platonic relationship with literally everyone, i love my bby so much, why is that not a tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 116,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24080119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacepeeps/pseuds/Spacepeeps
Summary: Hinata's charm and charisma are practically irresistible, and everyone seems to know this but him. It's for the best though, because none of the volleyball teams want the little middle blocker to know the things he could get them to do by just flashing them one of his sunshine smilesOr: Just a bunch of fluffy one-shots about our favorite orange crow making friends with absolutely everyone and Karasuno collectively losing their shit.Or: Hinata melting the hearts of everyone he meets.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Aobajohsai, Hinata Shouyou & Date Tech, Hinata Shouyou & Everyone, Hinata Shouyou & Fukurodani Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Nekoma Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Shiratorizawa Academy Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou/Everyone, Hinata Shouyou/Karasuno Volleyball Club
Comments: 1829
Kudos: 4999
Collections: Lemonaide favs, Only Haikyuu!!, you_haven't_lived_if_you_haven't_read_these_masterpieces





	1. You Were WHERE?

It was quiet. Too quiet. Sure, it was early in the morning, and practice hadn't even started yet, but the lack of presence and energy in the gym was overwhelming. It was peaceful. Kageyama listened for a moment before he narrowed his eyes. Something was off.

"Hinata! Hey dumbass, you here?" The only reply he received was the chirping of the birds outside, no doubt enjoying the morning before all of the students flooded the campus. Kageyama cocked an eyebrow suggestively. "Is he late?" He mused to himself. That wasn't like Hinata at all. They had a practice match against Nekoma today, and they'd made a deal to meet up before to synch up and maybe practice a few receives.

Kageyama bit his lip and let his eyes scan the empty gym once more. "Seriously?" He muttered, raising an eyebrow. The setter clicked his tongue in annoyance before carefully setting down his volleyball bag against the wall of the gym to start rifling through it. He pulled out his barely used cell phone and sat up against the wall himself to scroll through his few contacts. Finding the one he desired, he tapped on it and quickly typed out a message.

To: Dumbass Tangerine

From: Me

Where the hell are you, idiot? I beat you here by like 10 minutes.

Delivered

Kageyama's finger hovered over the off button on his phone, but he decided against it at the last moment and typed out one more text.

To: Dumbass Tangerine

From: Me

This makes us 58-57 dumbass. I'm winning.

Delivered

Kageyama smirked in self-satisfaction and turned his phone off for real this time. He put it back into his bag and stood up from his sitting position at the wall. Hinata had probably just overslept or something for once, he reasoned with himself. It wasn't his fault if his partner was too much of a lazy ass to get out of bed today. The young setter shrugged mentally before heading to the equipment room to retrieve the volleyball and set up the net. Might as well do what he came here to do.

Daichi, Suga, and Asahi all arrived together about an hour later. Just like Kageyama, they too were momentarily stopped in their tracks by the resounding silence that filled the usually noisy gym. Often, when the three third years would enter the gym, they would be greeted by the sound of powerful spikes, heated bickering, shoes squeaking viciously against the floor, or even bright laughter, all of these things courtesy of the first year freak duo. To be met with the sight of Kageyama setting the ball to himself with almost no sound? It was unnerving.

Suga cleared his throat. "Hey, Kageyama."

The setter in question glanced over his shoulder to see his teammate's confused faces, catching the ball and twisting around so he could face them. "Yeah?"

Daichi looked around the gym quizzically, as if waiting for something or someone to pop up and surprise them. When no such surprise came, the captain locked eyes with Kageyama. "Where's Hinata?"

Kageyama shrugged with a bored expression on his face. "No idea. That dumbass was supposed to meet me here an hour ago to get some extra practice in before Nekoma. Never showed up."

"Did you trying messaging him?" Asahi piped up, gesturing to the first-year setter.

Kageyama nodded and wordlessly walked to his duffle. After a few seconds of rummaging around, he pulled out his device once again. The third years watched quietly as Kageyama tapped on the screen a few times before thrusting it into their faces, making all of them blink in surprise at the sudden action. "See? Nothing. The idiot hasn't even read it yet." Suga shot him a confused look. "He has read receipts on." Kageyama clarified, pulling his arm with his phone in hand away from his teammates and tucking it back into his bag for the second time.

"Dumbass Tangerine?" Daichi questioned with a raise of his eyebrows.

Kageyama nodded solemnly. "Obviously."

"Isn't anyone else a tiny bit worried?" All eyes turned to Asahi. "I mean, this isn't like him at all. He's usually here earlier than all of us!"

"He's probably sick or something." Suga reasoned. "Nothing to worry about."

Kageyama shook his head at that speculation. "Nah, I don't think so. When the idiot's sick, he's on his phone all the time. He would've texted me back by now. Plus," Kageyama scoffed, "You know how much Hinata loves playing volleyball, especially against other teams. He would come whether he was sick or not."

The third years responded to Kageyama's inference with murmurs of agreement and nods of heads.

"Maybe he overslept," Daichi offered. "It can happen, even to someone with as much energy as Hinata."

Suga wrinkled his nose. "I doubt that. Remember Hinata at training camp?" All four boys cringed at the memory. Every single one of the seven days Karasuno had been at the facility, Hinata had been up with the sun, which had prompted everyone else also to have to wake up at the unreasonable hour as well because of the hyperactive ginger's inability to keep still or quiet.

A chorus of "Oh yeah" and "I remember that" rang through the gym softly. Suga hesitated for a moment before smiling brightly at his teammates. "I won't worry about it, guys! Actual practice hasn't even started yet. He's sure to be here by then!"

Kageyama grumbled and turned away from the group at this, heading toward his abandoned volleyball to get back to his setting. Asahi and Daichi shrugged at each other at Suga's words before heading off the volleyball cart as well to start their practicing. Suga followed closely behind the other two. He wasn't worried per se, but he was curious. Where exactly was Hinata Shouyou?

Time went on, and all of the other members of the Karasuno volleyball club slowly started arriving and trickling into the gym for a little morning practice. Soon, the building filled with talking, shouting, the squeaking of shoes, and the sound of volleyballs forcibly connecting with arms over and over. However, the energy wasn't the same. The gym lacked a bit of vibrance to it, a bit of activity and enthusiasm, and everyone was painfully aware of it.

"Hey, Kageyama!" Nishinoya bounced up to his underclassman, his usual toothy grin in place. "Where's Shouyou?"

"How the hell should I know," Kageyama grumbled, averting his eyes from the libero's all too-bright smile.

"Did Hinata not practice with you this mornin' or something?" It was Tanaka this time, dramatically strutting up to his two teammates in true Tanaka fashion. "I thought you two lovebirds always practiced together, like, wayyyy early in the morning before all of us."

Kageyama rolled his eyes in annoyance. He was used to Tanaka's teasing, but that didn't make it any less tolerable. "We do, but today he never showed up. Tried texting him too, but he didn't answer."

"Maybe that's just because it's you." Nishinoya threw his hands above his head in a gesture of peace as Kageyama whirled around on him. "See!" He exclaimed, turning to look at Tanaka and pointing a finger in Kageyama's face. "He's freaking terrifying! I wouldn't want to respond to a text from you if I were Shouyou."

Kageyama glared and crossed his arms at the two upperclassmen in front of him. "For the last time, I am not scary! This," He pointed vigorously. "Is just my face!"

"Stop, all of you." Daichi jogged over to the trio to join in their little conversation with Takeda in tow. "Takeda, did you ask the school if a reason for Hinata's absence has been given by either his parents?"

Takeda nodded, eyes wide as the practice around them grounded to a halt as everyone gathered close to hear was Takeda was saying. It felt weird, practicing without the ginger's happy smiles, bright eyes, and hyperactive attitude. Even Tsukishima had to admit he didn't feel as motivated as usual, despite his various claims that he wanted nothing to do with the smaller middle blocker.

"I asked the super intendant about it." Takeda wrung his hands out. "She said no, but she'll be sure to contact us if anything comes up."

The gym was silent for a few moments as everyone took this information in. This was extremely unlike Hinata. This was a fact that everyone was aware of. His streak of getting up early paired with his undying love for volleyball was a dangerous combination in an already stubborn child. For him to miss a practice for the game he loved so much, not to mention a chance to play against Nekoma of all people, something had to be wrong.

"...What if he was hit by a car?"

"TANAKA!"

Tanaka winced at the sound of 13 voices yelling his name. "Geez, sorry." He paused, his brow furrowing into a line of concern and lips pursing. "It's possible, though, right?"

"Tanaka, Hinata did not get hit by a car!" Suga crossed his arms. He couldn't believe he even had to say this right now. "Why the hell would you even suggest that!"

Tanaka threw his hands up defensively. "Hey, don't get me wrong. If Hinata ever did get hit by a car, I would beat the driver to a bloody pulp, but" The second-year bit his lip. "It's a possibility, right?" His voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "He does ride his bike like a bajillion miles to school every day. It's not impossible."

Daichi clapped his hands together loudly, effectively slicing through the suffocating silence that had filled the gym after Tanaka's worrisome prediction and making all of his teammates (except Tsukishima, of course. He wasn't even sure the kid had any emotions,) jump out of their skins. "Look." Daichi put on his best captain's voice. "We don't know why Hinata's not here, but we shouldn't worry so much. If he doesn't show, it's probably for a good reason. We all care about the kid and understandably are a little freaked at the prospect of him getting hit by a car," He cast a glare at Tanaka. "But the chances that that happens are astronomically low. It's still pretty early, and there are barely any cars on the road at this time. So everyone stop your whining and load up. We need to get to Nekoma."

Daichi's efforts to excite his team were rewarded by enthusiastic cheers and choruses of agreement at the mention of their practice match with Nekoma. Daichi smiled warmly at his club. "If Hinata doesn't arrive at the practice match and we still don't have any word from the super intendant by then, that's when we can assume that the worst has happened. But for now, everyone just relax yourselves and get ready."

Karasuno nodded their heads sharply in agreement before exiting the gym to the parking lot, where the bus was already waiting to take them to Nekoma. Nishinoya led the pack, sprinting as fast as he could, all the while laughing like a maniac. The rest of the team just looked on in amusement at the overly excited libero, Hinata's absence weighing in the back of everyone's minds.

"Uh, Tanaka?"

Tanaka casually looked over his shoulder to see Yamaguchi staring back at him with wide eyes. "Yeah?"

"Do you really think that Hinata got in a car crash?" Yamaguchi asked tentatively. Tsukishima was posed right behind Yamaguchi with his eyebrow raised and arms crossed. He didn't say anything, but Tanaka knew that he too was awaiting his response.

Tanaka let out a puff of air and scratched his head. "I SERIOUSLY hope not Tadashi, but if he did, I would PUNCH THAT CAR UNTIL IT BREEEAAAKS!" Tanaka yelled the last part, throwing his head back and vigorously pumping his arms.

"You can't beat up a car." Tsukishima deadpanned, his cocked eyebrow gone, and his regular passive expression now plastered on his face.

"OH? IS THAT A CHAAALLENGE TSUKISHIMAAA?!" Tanaka narrowed his eyes at the blond and leaned forward with his hands on his hips.

"It's a simple fact, Tanaka." Tsukishima sneered, smirking slightly at his outburst before gliding away from the seething second year to the bus awaiting them. Tanaka huffed and crossed his arms.

"Bastard."

Karasuno arrived at Nekom Highschool in what seemed like no time. The bus was quickly cleared of all team members while Suga checked to make sure they had everyone, save their resident ginger, accounted for. The team had put this precaution in place because they had once forgotten Narita in the back of the bus and hadn't noticed he was gone until the match was over when the same vehicle had come to transport them back to Karasuno. They had found their sleeping team member inside, not having moved a muscle. They had apologized profusely, but Narita had just waved them off, stating that he was used to being a "side character." No one had been quite sure what he meant, but they let it drop after that.

Daichi led the way, as usual, weaving his team expertly through the buildings and around the students milling about to the humongous gymnasium that they had become so familiar with over the past few months. Practice matches with Nekoma weren't rare, but they were still cherished and enjoyed for all they were worth. They were a good team with good players, and they had fun playing against each other.

"Hey, isn't their team smaller than usual?"

All members of Karasuno turned to look at Yamaguchi, who was staring at the Nekoma team intently. They had arrived at the gymnasium a few moments prior and were now in the middle of setting down their bags and getting situated so they could start practicing a little before the match began.

"Kuroo's missing," Tuskishima said smoothly after a moment. "And so's his little setter friend."

"Kozume?" Kageyama asked, turning his head again so he could survey their opponents. Tuskishima was right. Neither Kuroo nor Kenma were anywhere to be seen. Kageyama could see that the Nekoma players whispering to each other instead of practicing like usual before a match, as well as glancing nervously to the door from time to time.

"Hey! Yaku!" Nishinoya called over his fellow libero, who complied after one more quick gaze toward the doors to the gymnasium and started jogging toward the opposing volleyball team.

"Hello, Nishinoya. Everybody." Yaku nodded in greeting, earning a few equally respectful nods back.

Nishinoya grinned enthusiastically. "Good to see ya, Yaku! We couldn't help but notice that you seem down a few players." Noya waggled his eyebrows. "Care to explain?"

"We could ask you the same thing." Lev walked up to Yaku and put one hand on his shoulder, earning himself a swat from the libero. Laughing lightly, he raised an eyebrow at the Karasuno team. "Where's the shorty?"

Asahi nudged Kageyama, who, in turn, looked at him with an incredulous expression. "What? Why me?" He asked out loud, looking at the ace with a fusion of confusion and annoyance.

"Just do it."

"Fine." Kageyama made eye contact with Lev. "Hinata never showed up this morning. Which is weird because he never sleeps in. Ever. And the dumbass hasn't been answering his phone either. We haven't gotten any word from the school super intendant about why he's missing, and he would never miss a practice match with you guys, so we don't know what's going on or where he is. There. Happy now?" Kageyama muttered this last part to Asahi, who gave him a gentle smile before turning his attention to the two Nekoma players before him.

Lev thought for a moment. "That's pretty similar to our situation. No one's heard from either Kuroo or Kenma all day. We tried reaching both of them, but we got nothing."

Yaku nodded. "We thought nothing of it when Kuroo didn't respond. After all, he rarely uses his phone." Yaku ignored the glare he was receiving from Lev for taking over his story, but the libero waved him off and continued. "But when we texted Kenma and he didn't reply, that's when we started worrying a little."

"Isn't Kozume always on his phone though?" Suga asked. He had seen the young setter multiple times outside of games, and each time Kenma had been doing something or other with his small device in his hand.

Lev nodded, eager to take back his story. "Exactly. He had read receipts on too, so we know he's not ghosting us. He hasn't even seen the message yet."

"Weird." Kageyama mused out loud. "That's exactly what happened with Hinata."

Yaku scrunched his face up and scratched his nose. "I wonder if-"

"KUROO THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" A familiar voice could be heard beyond the gym doors. "WE'RE LATE BECAUSE OF YOU!" Karasuno exchanged wide-eyed glances with each other. They knew that voice all too well.

"ME!? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DEMANDED TO KEEP PLAYING UNTIL KENMA LOST!"

"WELL, DUH! KENMA WAS HACKING!"

"Was not." Kenma's monotone voice could barely be heard through the thin gym doors, but it was still there. Both teams started incredulously at one another. What in the world was going on?

"YOU WERE!" Hinata's and Kuroo's voiced blended into one.

"It's not my fault you guys suck."

"WE DO NOT SUCK." Kuroo sputtered. "YOU CHEATED!"

"Did not."

"DID TOO!" Hinata's voice was getting louder now, signaling that the trio was getting closer to the gym. "YOU GOT TWO BLUE SHELLS. IN A ROW. IN 3RD PLACE. WHEN IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT I WAS IN FIRST AND KUROO WAS IN SECOND."

"It's just luck." Kenma had a hint of a smile on his face looking at his two red-faced friends. He pushed open the gym doors and immediately froze. "Oh." He said. "Hi."

Hinata and Kuroo stopped in their tracks as well, taking in the sight of their two teams staring at them with expressions of utter confusion. Kuroo, who had been walking in between Hinata and Kenma, slung one arm around both of their shoulders best he could with their short statures. "Ayo Karasuno! Wassup?"

Daichi narrowed his eyes at this. "Kuroo." His voice was cold. "What exactly are you doing with our first year?"

Hinata glances nervously up at Kuroo, but the Nekoma team captain returned Daichi's gaze with an easy grin. It was no secret how protective Karasuno was of their tiny number ten, and Kuroo could see now that the rumors floating between the other teams hadn't been exaggerating. The entire team's eyes were practically boring into him, glaring at the sight of Kuroo's arm around their small middle blocker.

"Kenma, would you do the honors?" Kuroo's eyes shifted from Daichi to his smaller friend. "I believe you are best suited to answer this question."

"Oh. Um." Kenma licked his lips. "I invited Shouyou for a sleepover last night."

At this, the mouths of every single Nekoma team member dropped.

"Seriously?"

"A sleepover?"

"Kenma never has sleepovers!"

"He's never even showed up to any of the team ones!"

"Kenma you hate sleepovers!"

"And social interactions that last more than two hours!"

"And sleep!"

"I don't think he's ever invited a single one of us besides Kuroo to a sleepover before!"

"Nope," Kuroo interjected. "He's never invited me to one either." This earned more wildly confused stares directed at the trio.

"Kuroo, you've slept over plenty of times." Kenma deadpanned, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention being brought to them

"Well yeah, but you've never invited me over! I've always had to break in or something!"

"So last night was NORMAL FOR YOU TWO?!" Hinata's eyes switched back and forth between Kenma and Kuroo rapidly.

"Yep," Kenma replied, shoving his hands in the pockets of his volleyball jacket. "Can we just play now?"

Hinata ignored him and began speaking with his usual vigor and excitement. "SERIOUSLY? HOW DO YOU EVEN FUNCTION! I would be SO paranoid all of the time. I wouldn't be able even to FOCUS!"

"You can't focus anyway, small fry." Kuroo interrupted, smirking.

"I can focus rooster head! At least I'm not a clutz like you!"

"Hmm, after the events of last night, I beg to differ."

"Are you talking about the-KUROO THAT WAS ALL YOU NONE OF THAT WAS MY FAULT."

Kenma offered a small, affectionate smile, causing the members of Nekoma once again to let their jaws drop to the floor. They had never seen Kenma smile before. "If we're talking about what I think we're talking about, that was all you Kuroo."

Karasuno surveyed the scene in front of them, all of them either confused, surprised, amazed, or a combination of all three. The trio standing in the doorway was acting like they had known each other for years, playfully teasing and talking about inside secrets that their teammates were clueless about. To be fair, Kuroo and Kenma had known each other since childhood, but Hinata was pretty much entirely new for their friendship. And yet, this was happening.

"Hey! Dumbass!" The banter stopped as all three heads turned Kageyama's way in unison. He shuttered. Creepy. "Would you mind explaining to us what the heck's going on?! Why are you at a sleepover with people you've barely just met! Why are you three interacting like it's the easiest thing in the world, why'd you show up so late, and why didn't you at least text us what the hell was going on?!"

"Hey! Yeah! That's right!" Yaku turned his attention accusingly to Kenma and Kuroo, both of which were still looking at Kageyama. "Why weren't either of you answering your phones! Especially you, Kenma!"

Kenma shrugged lightly and twisted his shoulders out of Kuroo's arm to stand on the other side of Hinata. "I invited Shouyou to a sleepover because he's my friend." Kenma stated, answering Kageyama's first question. "It's simple, really. I like hanging out with him for longer lengths of time than other people." The pudding haired boy waved apologetically to his team, the members question looking slightly hurt by that comment. "Plus, we had a videogame we wanted to play together. Kuroo just happened to drop by."

Hinata snorted. "Yeah. Emphasize on dropped. HEY!" That last remark was aimed at Kuroo himself, who had poked the ginger's cheek at Hinata's statement. Hinata glared at the taller boy with no real heat before flashing Kageyama one of his sunshine smiles. "What are you talking about, Bakayama? Why wouldn't we interact this way? We're friends!"

Kageyama glowered. "But...it's so casual and flowy." He grumbled to himself.

"Awww, is the king socially awkward?" Tsukishima cooed.

Kageyama whipped around to glare at the blond. ''I AM NOT." He turned back to face Hinata. "But that still doesn't explain why you were so late."

"Or why none of you responded to everyone's messages," Tanaka said, still glaring daggers at Kuroo. He was still a bit to close to his underclassman for his liking, but Hinata seemed fine with it, so there was nothing he could do but listen to what they had to say and watch the scene unfold in front of him.

Hinata laughed brightly. "Oh yeah, that's a really funny story." He glanced and Kenma, who nodded for him to continue. "So Kenma invited me over to a sleepover because we've been dying to play Mario Kart together since, like, the day we first met, right? So we get to Kenma's house, but it's pretty late when we do so we eat first before playing. We leave our phones out on the couch because that's where the Wii and everything is set up, and next thing you know, we hear a crash coming from the living room. So, me being the brave soul that I am, I went in there to check it out. But-"

"Shouyou was terrified." Kenma interrupted. He shrugged at the suspicious gazes of his teammates, who had never heard him interrupt anyone ever. "Just making sure everyone gets the full story."

Hinata stuck his tongue out at Kenma. "Shush, you. So anyway, I go into the living room and I find Kuroo had been climbing through the ventilation system to get to Kenma's house and had literally fallen straight through the ceiling." Hinata burst into a fit of giggles, making everyone around him smile before he composed himself again and continued.

"The only problem was, he fell straight on our phones and crushed them in the landing. He broke his phone also because it was in his back pocket. Anyway, Kenma didn't seem fazed at all, so I just kinda went with it. So then Kuroo stayed over and joined our sleepover! Then we played Mario Kart and Kenma totally cheated because me or Kuroo didn't win ONCE, so we kept replaying until one of us beat Kenma, but that never happened because we stayed up until like five in the morning trying to do it, which is the time I usually get up. Hence, I was SUPER tired, and none of us set the alarm. So we literally just woke up like 10 minutes ago and Kuroo drove us here, which is SO COOL, by the way, and now we're all best friends and having another sleepover next weekend!"

Hinata beamed at the shocked faces around them while Kuroo nodded solemnly. "Yep. That's the gist of it."

After a few beats of silence, Kageyama muttered something unintelligible and got up from his position on the floor beside his team's bench. He stalked over to where the trio was standing and yanked Hinata away from Kenma and Kuroo, dragging him to the bathroom despite his cries of protest. No one made a move to stop him as they watched them go. No one in the gym would admit it, but Kageyama scared them all to some degree.

"That's insane." Asahi finally said. "You guys and Hinata were nothing more than acquaintances last week!"

Kuroo shrugged. "I don't know what to tell ya. That kid's easy to make friends with. I couldn't stop myself. It was like I was being sucked in." Kuroo gestured to Kenma. "Not to mention he's the only one Kenma can stand for more than a few hours. Not even I can do that, and I've known him for years!"

Kenma shrugged sheepishly. "I like Shouyou. He's fun."

Tsukishima sighed. "Yeah, that idiot's charisma is off the charts. Even I don't dislike him as much as I pretend to." He wrinkled his nose. "I think it's impossible to hate him, honestly. He could probably become friends with anyone he wanted to."

Suga nodded thoughtfully. "Mmhm...yeah."

"Kageyama wha-what are you doing! Kageyama!" Hinata tried to no avail to break the iron grip Kageyama had on his arm. He couldn't do anything other than accept his fate as his setter ripped open the bathroom door and practically chucked him in. Hinata had never been fond of bathrooms. Bad things always seemed to happen to him in them. This was no exception.

"Kageyama wha-"

"You DUMBASS!" Kageyama yelled, throwing his hands up in the air as he stalked toward the shorter boy. "A SLEEPOVER? YOU GOT US WORKED UP OVER A STUPID SLEEPOVER? ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

"Kageyama, I have no idea what you're so mad about." Usually, Hinata would throw in an insulting nickname here or there, but Kageyama was mad, madder than he'd ever seen him before, and Hinata was very fond of living; thank you very much, so he refrained from namecalling just this once. "It's just a sleepover with my friends. No need to get worked up."

"YOU DON'T EVEN GET IT, DO YOU!" Kageyama jammed a finger dangerously close to Hinata's face. The latter shrunk back. "YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP! YOU WERE LATE! YOU'RE NEVER LATE! YOU MADE US THINK SOMETHING WAS REALLY REALLY WRONG WITH YOU! YOU SCARED US, YOU STUPID FREAKING IDIOT! WE THOUGHT YOU GOT HIT BY A CAR!"

"Uhm...what?"

"DON'T YOU "what" ME YOU DUMBASS! YOU COULD'VE BEEN DYING IN A DITCH FOR ALL I KNEW! WHO WOULD I HAVE DONE QUICK ATTACKS WITH THEN, HUH? SURELY NOT YOU BECAUSE YOU'D. BE. DEAD!"

Translation: I was worried about you. I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I would've done with myself if you'd gotten hurt.

Hinata bit back a smile, knowing it would only set Kageyama off more. He wasn't an idiot, and he'd spent enough time with his emotionally constipated friend to be well versed in the language of Kageyama. Still, Hinata was Hinata, and he couldn't resist teasing the setter a little. He cocked his head to the side and pretended to be confused. "Wow, Kageyama. I didn't know you cared."

"WHA- DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY HINATA? OF COURSE, I CARE YOU STUPID FREAKING DUMBASS! YOU'RE WAY TOO RECKLESS AND TRUSTING OF OTHER PEOPLE! I'M HONESTLY SURPRISED YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN KIDNAPPED YET! DUMBASS!"

Hinata held up his hands defensively. "Okay, okay. Geez. I get your point." He glanced up at the still seething teen through his orange bangs. He offered a mischievous smile. "But my phone was broken, you idiot. I couldn't let you know if I tried."

"I KNOW! JUST-AGH!" Kageyama's glare deflated, and he crossed his arms. I hate you. You know that?"

Hinata stuck his tongue out at the setter. "Yeah. I hate you more, though."

"Not possible dumbass."

"Yahuh!"

"Nope."

"Yep."

"NO!"

"YEAH!"

"FINE. WE'LL SETTLE IT ON THE COURT. THE FIRST PERSON TO GET BACK THERE HATES THE OTHER ONE MORE!"

"YOU'RE ON BAKAYAMA!"

Translation:

You're my friend.

I know.


	2. Can We Keep Him? (shiratorizawa edition)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got multiple requests for Tendou and Ushijima, so here we have our favorite weirdo and stoic spiker with Hinata! Plus, the rest of the team!
> 
> Featuring Karasuno freaking the frick out because they think that Shiratorizawa's scary.
> 
> Training Camp with Hinata next up due to popular demand!

"Aw! What's wrong, Ushijima! You look a little down." Tendou's flashed a catlike smile at the ace and waggled a finger in his face haughtily. "You've never been one to wear your emotions on your sleeve. Tell me, is it because we lost?"

Ushijima didn't even glance at the redhead. His eyes were fixed forward, gaze hard, and his lips turned down into a slight frown. "It's not that." He replied after a moment. He knew Tendou all too well. He would keep pestering and bothering him until he got the answer he desired. Ushijima had learned long ago that it was best just to answer Tendou's questions when asked to spare himself the torture later. "Not really, anyway."

"Oh?" Tendou cocked his head at Ushijima with one eyebrow raised mischievously. "Then what?"

"We lost. It happens." Ushijima's brow furrowed slightly. "It's about who we lost to."

Tendou laughed. "Karasuno. Come on. It was a fluke! They only won because of that pasty string bean and his freaky blocks! The rest of the team was practically nothing! Or..." Tendou leaned in closer to Ushijima, so his chin was practically resting on his shoulder. "Is it about that little number ten?" Tendou felt his teammate stiffen underneath him. "It is, isn't it!"

Ushijima twitched, as if Tendou had hit a sore spot. "He annoys me." He grumbled. "Little bastard..."

Tendou let go of the ace's shoulder and skipped over to the left of him so they could talk properly. "I don't get it. I mean sure he's a pest with his freak quick attacks, but you've never gotten this worked up about, well, anything!" He threw his arms up as if to emphasize his point.

"He made me a promise."

"Huh?" Tendou turned to face Ushijima. "What?"

Ushijima frowned even further. "He and that pesky setter of his followed me back to Shiratorizawa. I didn't interact with them or pay them any mind, but Hinata wasn't having it."

Tendou raised an eyebrow. "Hinata?"

Ushijima nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "That's number ten's name if I'm not mistaken. Hinata Shouyou." His left eye twitched violently. "That little nuisance. He faced me and declared that he would beat me. I scoffed. Obviously." Ushijima tilted his head slightly toward Tendou, keeping his eyes tracked on the hallway in front of them so they didn't bump into any people while on the way to their bus. "He has no real skill. All he can do is run fast and jump high. And yet-"

"He beat us." Tendou finished. His eyes darted to the side as if something had startled him, before looking back at Ushijima. "You may not look it, but you're seriously pissed off, aren't you?"

Ushijima only grunted in response. Tendou gasped dramatically, putting a mocking hand up to his mouth.

"Ohmygod, you are! This is the most emotion I've seen you show since...ever!" The middle blocker smirked slightly. "I gotta admit, though, it's kinda entertaining watching you get all pissy and stuff because of some shorty!"

Ushijima grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a threat, but Tendou shrugged it off with ease as the familiar mischievous glint took its rightful place in his eyes. "Would you go as far as to say that you hate him?"

Ushijima hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth to answer. "I-"

"Hey! Ushijima!" The duo barely had any time to react before a head of fluffy orange hair bounded up to them, armed with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. Tendou blinked in surprise at the sudden roadblock, sending a questioning glance at his teammate beside him.

Ushijima narrowed his eyes. He should've seen this coming. That little brat had promised him defeat, and he had delivered. He was probably here to rub it in his face, talk him down, and-

"You were amazing!"

Huh.

Ushijima's eye's widened before gazing down at the beaming boy in front of him. "Uhm." His mind went blank, brain shutting down completely. Tendou, who had recovered from the surprise visitor relatively quickly, merely watched the scene before him curiously. In his three years playing volleyball with Ushijima, he had never seen him as starstruck as he was now. It looked as if all of his senses had shut down, leaving him to stare down at the little boy in front of him with astonished eyes and gaping mouth.

Hinata, blissfully unaware of the effect his compliments and smiles had on the older male, continued on his rant. "Seriously! I can see why you're the ACE! You're so strong and powerful! Those spikes were awesome! So so awesome! They were like gwah! And bam! Someday I wish that I can spike like you! And you!" Hinata rounded on Tendou, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed. "You were awesome too! Your blocks were amazing! I hope that someday I can be as good as you are!"

Oh. Crap.

Tendou's heart clenched at the surprise onslaught of compliments from the volleyball player in front of them, the very same one they had been complaining about moments before. He'd...never really received praise quite like that for his skills before, volleyball or otherwise. It...felt good.

"Ushijima." The playful, teasing tone that usually underlined Tendou's words was gone, replaced with a foreign seriousness "Can we keep this child."

"Huh?" Hinata's expression twisted into one of confusion before he burst into bubbly laughter, his grin aimed directly at the two Shiratorizawa members.

Tendou bit back a choke at the sight and had to fight the urge to hug the small middle blocker. All feelings of annoyance or disliking toward Karasuno's smallest spiker disappeared in an instant, all being replaced by a warm fluffy feeling that filled Tendou's stomach almost immediately.

"Ushijima," He breathed. "I think I'm falling platonically in love."

"That's called friendship, Tendou," Ushijima said weakly, still partially blinded by the sunshiny smile emanating from Hinata, who by now had ceased laughing but kept the grin in place.

"Oh. I see." Tendou muttered, hand moving up to clutch the fabric of his volleyball uniform tightly in an effort to stop his heart from jumping out of his chest. An unsettling silence fell over the trio as the two third years continued to stare at the boy in front of them while the latter ran a hand carefully through his hair.

"Um," Hinata waved a hand in the faces of Tendou and Ushijima. "Are you guys okay?"

Tendou's brain barely registered what Hinata had said before he sprang upright, making the orangette jump up in surprise.

"Yes! We're fantastic." Tendou elbowed his still starstruck teammate harshly, an action that did not go unnoticed by Hinata, who tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Right, Ushijima?"

"Huh? Oh." Ushijima blinked rapidly, desperately trying to regain his senses. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to receiving praise after a game, but it usually came from students who had come to support them or his teammates. He would accept it, thank whoever had delivered it, and would be on his way. But receiving appreciation for his skills from the other team? Especially from the very person who had vowed to beat him and succeeded? That was unheard of in Ushijima's book. "Right. Yes. We're fine."

His redheaded teammate nodded rapidly. "Yes. We're fine. Perfect even. Now that that's out of the way, Hinata! Would you like to be friends?" Ushijima's head whipped around so fast that Tendou considered it a miracle his neck hadn't broken. Still, he didn't particularly care about the disbelieving gaze boring into him at the moment. His eyes were trained solely on Hinata, awaiting his response.

After only a moment, Hinata's face split into another heart-melting beam. "Yeah! I'd love that! You're Tendou, right?"

Tendou nodded vigorously, trying to hide that fact that is insides were practically mush from the wave of praise, smiles, and the fact that Hinata had remembered his name. "Yep. That's me!" He gestured to his comrade. "And I'm assuming you know Ushijima? He tells me you've met before."

Hinata returned Tendou's nod enthusiastically, matching his energy with ease. "Yep! He's an amazing player! All of you guys are! I know I talk big, but I'm surprised we beat you at all!" His eyes were positively shining as he stared up at the two taller men with such adoration and respect that all previous negative feelings harbored towards the boy in front of them disappeared in an instant, never to be seen or heard of again.

"Oh. Um." A light blush spread over Ushijima's face as he struggled to regain his composure. "You played a good game as well, Hinata. I suppose I underestimated you."

"REALLY!" Hinata yelped, cheeks flushing furiously. "Wow! Thank you! That means a lot coming from the Ace of Shiratorizawa!"

Ushijima let out a strangled cry before quickly covering his mouth with his hands, an expression of pure horror plastered on his face at the sound he had just made. It took all Tendou had not to burst out laughing at the sight of the notoriously stoic Wakatoshi Ushijima being effortlessly reduced into a bumbling mess by a few kind words, smiles, and sparkly eyes from Karasuno's number ten. However, Tendou knew he couldn't talk. After all, he had fallen victim to Hinata's charm just as hard as his teammate had.

Hinata glanced around the hallways of the volleyball compound nervously, his tiny celebration having died down only a few moments prior. "So, um...do you think that either of you could help me?"

Tendou and Ushijima exchanged wide-eyed glances of confusion and worry before turning back to the boy standing before them to nod solemnly. Hinata smiled softly in relief.

"Thanks. I um," He bit his lip. "I'm not exactly sure where my team is...right now. I mean the award ceremony's over, and I was so focused on finding you," He gestured to Ushijima. "That I guess I lost track of them." His eyes flitted nervously up to his upperclassmen, who in turn, were both looking down at him fondly.

"No need to worry, Hinata. We'll help you find them." Ushijima ruffled Hinata's hair lightly. Ushijima was never one for touching. Like Kenma, if he could, he would avoid it at all costs. However, also like Kenma, Ushijima found himself strangely comfortable around Hinata. He sighed. It was funny. He couldn't even fathom thinking a single lousy thought toward the small middle blocker, despite his feelings from less than a few minutes before. He had heard tales of Hinata's charm from Kuroo during a training camp, but he never anticipated him actually being this likable.

"Do you remember where your bus was parked?" Tendou asked, observing the two players with mild curiosity. He knew Ushijima's hatred of physical affection. For him not only to partake in it but be the one who initiated it in the first place...that number ten was something else, on and off and court.

Hinata's eyes flickered up to Tendou. "No." He grumbled. "Sorry."

Tendou shrugged. "Don't mind. We can just trudge around until we find your sorry team."

Hinata stuck his tongue out playfully at the redhead. "Don't insult my team. We beat you, remember?" Tendou bit back a smile at that one. "Besides," The orangette continued, "I don't think we have time for that. I'm supposed to be home in," He checked his watch. Tendou watched as his eyes grew in panic. "30 minutes to babysit my little sister! I have to go! Is there any way you could help me?"

"Couldn't you text your team and ask where they are?" It was Ushijima this time, a thoughtful look gracing his chiseled features.

Hinata shook his head. "Nope. All of our phones are stored on the bus." He stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and rifled around for a second before pulling out a sleek, blue device. "I only got to keep mine in case an emergency happened and my mom needed me to come home to babysit my sister early."

Ushijima thought for a moment. "I don't suppose you memorized any of their numbers, did you?"

"No. Sorry." Hinata looked up at them with pleading eyes. "Is there anything else you could do?"

Tendou nodded slowly. "I mean...you could always come with us." He turned to Ushijima, who nodded in silent approval, before raising an eyebrow at Hinata. "We're leaving right about now, and our bus isn't far." He smiled warmly, excited about the prospect of the ginger joining them. "If you rode with us, you could make it just in time."

Hinata's orbs lit up as he beamed, filling both members with a strange sense of accomplishment, knowing that they were the ones who made the sunshine child smile like this.

"Really? Are you sure?! That would be amazing!"

Ushijima nodded, eyes soft. "Yes, it's quite alright."

Hinata giggled and pumped his fists in the air. "Awesome! You have no idea how much this helps me. I can't thank you enough!"

Tendou offered an easy grin. "Don't sweat it. We're friends, right?" He gestured to himself and Ushijima, silently noting that his taller teammate became strangely attentive as he waited for Hinata's answer.

"Yes! Obviously!" He gave the two men one more shining smile before turning his back to them to start jogging down the hallway. "Come on! Lead the way!"

xxx

"Hey, Tendou?"

"Yeah, Goshiki?"

"Uh...did you kidnap Karasuno's number ten?"

Tendou laughed, glancing to his right where Hinata was chatting up a storm with all of the members of Shiratorizawa besides himself and Goshiki. It seemed as though Hinata's charm had struck again, for almost all of the members were looking at the small orange-haired player with undeniable fondness while those who weren't were struggling not to scoop the boy into a hug every time he offered one of his sunshine smiles. Tendou scoffed. He gave them away far too easily.

"Hey." Goshiki followed Tendou's gaze toward Hinata. "You never answered my question."

Tendou shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe I did."

"TENDOU! KARASUNO'S GONNA MURDER US! YOU KNOW HOW PROTECTIVE THEY ARE OF HIM! WHAT IF HE FALLS AND GETS A BRUISE OR SOMETHING AND THEY BLAME IT ON US!?"

Tendou shrugged again. "I'm joking, Goshiki. Relax. Hinata came willingly."

"You sure you didn't bribe him?"

Tendou snorted. "Yes. I'm sure. And I wouldn't worry about the bruise thing." He gestured to his teammates, who were currently huddled around the young crow. "I doubt any of them will let so much as a mosquito drink Hinata's blood."

Goshiki looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, look at him." Tendou huffed. "He's just so..."

"Likable?" Goshiki suggested, leaning his head back a little so he could survey the scene as well.

"More like lovable." Tendou replied. "Hinata, a member of Karasuno, one of which who had a big part in beating us in the game for nationals, the very same person we're supposed to consider our enemy, just wormed his way into the hearts of an entire team, most of the members whom he didn't even know, in less than 5 minutes without even trying."

Goshiki nodded in agreement. "He just has this...comfortable aura surrounding him. Even I don't feel jumpy when I'm in close proximity."

"Yeah." Tendou watched Ushijima ruffle Hinata's hair, the ace's eyes growing softer by the second. Silence surrounded the two as they watched the others interact.

"Does Karasuno know we have him?"

"No."

"Do you have any intention of letting them know?"

"No."

"You want to keep him, don't you."

"..."

"Seriously, Tendou?"

"Oh, shut up! You know you do too."

"Whatever. You do know that Karasuno's going to lose their shit when they find out he's with us, right?"

"Yeah."

"They might murder us."

"Yeah."

"Hey, Goshiki. Tendou." Both boys turned to look at Ushijima, who was approaching them with a weird expression on his face.

Goshiki automatically turned into a sputtering mess, as he always did when Ushijima was around, while Tendou just responded with a casual, "What is it?"

"Do you think if I offered Hinata a spot on Shiratorizawa, he would join?"

"..."

"OHMYGOD YOU WANT TO KEEP HIM TOO!?" Tendou squealed, doubling over in laughter. "SEE GOSHIKI! IT'S NOT WEIRD IF EVEN OUR ACE WANTS TO DO IT!"

"Uh-um Ushijima?" Goshiki stuttered, ignoring Tendou's outburst. "Weren't you, um, weren't you the one complaining about how much you disliked Hinata to Tendou earlier during the game?"

Ushijima glared, earning a squeak from the underclassman. "How dare you even suggest I have even the slightest negative thought toward Hinata. That's not possible."

"B-but you said-"

"I will personally fight anyone who has any problems with Hinata."

Goshiki opened his mouth shakily to reply before his brain short-circuited as he processed Ushijima's words. "Um...what?" He asked.

"I'm completely serious, Goshiki." And serious he was. Ushijima was sporting his game voice. It was loud, booming, and commanding with no trace of humor or teasing in its tone. He narrowed his eyes accusingly. "Do you have a problem with Hinata? Because I will punch you if you do."

"I CAN'T BREATHEEEE THIS IS TOO GOOD!" Tendou wailed, howling with laughter. "USHIJIMA I'M GOING TO START CRYING!" His long, joyful bursts of laughter were unintentionally punctuated by Goshiki's confused stammering and mumbling, desperately trying to convince Ushijima that he had no ill intent toward Hinata whatsoever.

"Hey, guys?" Tendou's laughter cut off abruptly as three pairs of eyes turned to look at Hinata. He smiled brightly, clearly energized by all of the attention he was getting from their teammates, who were currently crowded behind him "I don't mean to be a bother, but do you think we could get going?"

"Of course, Hinata." Ushijima straightened up and gestured toward the loaded bus. "We've got everything ready."

Hinata cheered and bounded up to the vehicle. The doors opened mechanically, and the young middle blocker beamed at everyone over his shoulder before jumping up the stairs in one leap and skipping to the back of the bus.

The rest of the team stared in silence before Ushijima spoke up.

"I'm sitting next to him."

He was met with protests almost immediately.

"What?"

"No way!"

"That's not fair!"

"You got to spend more time with the shorty than us!"

"Rock paper scissors! All of us, right now!"

"Winners get the seats by the shrimp!"

And with that, Hinata watched in confusion from the back of the bus as a vicious rock paper scissors war broke out between the members of Shiratorizawa. He sent a quizzical look to Tendou, who was walking up the aisle to where he was sitting. "What are they doing?'

"They're fighting for the spots next to you." Tendou gestured to the seat on Hinata's right as he sat down in the one to his left. "But they're not that smart, so they decided to play some silly game to determine the winners instead of just get on the bus and walk over to you while everyone else was distracted. Which is what I did." He pointed proudly to his chest. "Your pretty popular, you know."

"Really!?" The disbelief in Hinata's voice was apparent. Tendou turned to him in confusion; meeting dazzled eyes and cheeks with a little pink dusted on them.

"Um...yeah." He replied. Hinata positively lit up at the confirmation, leaving Tendou even more confused. Was Hinata not even aware of the effect he had on people? The way he could effortlessly charm anyone he came across without any problem? Tendou shook his head. It was a wonder that Karasuno didn't exploit Hinata's unique ability during matches. One smile could make even the toughest opponents go weak in the knees; he was sure about that. It was a shame the orangette was always so severe during games. Karasuno could probably win every one if they used Hinata's beaming grin as a distraction.

"Tendou!" Ushijima's voice echoed through the bus. Tendou turned his head and was met with several glaring teammates, a glaring ace, and a particularly pissed off Shirabu.

"What?"

"That's my spot," Shirabu said, pointing to the seat Tendou was currently occupying. "I won it fair and square."

Tendou shrugged. "Well, I'm already in it, fairer and squarer." He grinned slyly. Making people mad was his specialty.

"What?!" Shirabu glared at the redheaded middle blocker. "That doesn't even make any sen-"

"Hey! I know you!" All eyes turned to Hinata, who was practically bouncing up and down in his seat, eyes trained on Shirabu.

"Me?" Shirabu asked weakly, pointing to himself. Sure, he had been talking to Hinata before, but the smaller player had been too busy gushing his thanks for letting him take their bus to observe any of the people's faces around him.

"You're Kenjirou Shirabu, right! Shiratorizawa's setter." Hinata's eyes sparkled. "You were awesome! Your sets were like gwah! And swoosh! You were really, really good! Even Kageyama thinks so!"

Shirabu's cheeks turned bright red, much to the amusement of everyone around them. He managed to stammer out a nervous "Thank you," Before he was overtaken by Hinata once again.

"But um, do you think it's okay if Tendou keeps sitting here?" Tendou blinked in surprise, yet managed to keep the smirk plastered on his face. Hinata twiddled his fingers together. "I mean, he is the one who helped me here and offered me a seat on the bus so..."

Shirabu opened and closed his mouth a few times before straightening up slowly. "Um...yeah, Hinata, that's fine...I uh...yeah." Cheeks still burning red, he trudged to the seat nearest to him, mind still hazy from his encounter with the ginger. Everyone else followed in suit, with Ushijima taking the seat to the right of Hinata while everyone else filtered out into their own.

"Dude." Semi slid into the seat next to Shirabu. "You just got totally whipped."

Shirabu glared. "Shut up. As if you would be able to fair any better with those eyes and that smile paired with that personality aimed directly at your face."

Semi snorted. "Dude, that's so gay."

"It's called friendship, dumbass. Not that you'd know anything about it." Shirabu crossed his arms and stared out the window, ignoring his teammate's cries of protest at his comment. "Hinata's a freaking master at it."

Semi regarded his friend quietly for a moment. "I still think that's gay." He concluded with a huff.

Shirabu raised an eyebrow in protest. "Oh yeah? Ask Hinata if he knows who you are and see if your brain doesn't turn to mush in under ten seconds!"

A smile tugged at the corners of Semi's lips. "You're on. Hey, shorty!" Hinata and Ushijima turned simultaneously, Ushijima glaring daggers at Semi for interrupting his conversation and Hinata sitting at attention.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know who I am?" Semi smirked. Too easy. There was no way-

"Of course I do!"

What.

Semi blinked in surprise as Hinata began to gush once more. "You're Semi of Shiratorizawa! You're a great pinch server! That much was obvious during the game anyway." He orangette stared at his confused expression before continuing. "I also heard that you were a setter, but Shirabu took your place," Shirabu smirked at this comment as Semi stiffened beside him. It wouldn't be long now. "But you're such an incredible volleyball player! You have so many skills, and I wish I could serve even half as good as you!"

"Smile at him." Tendou whispered to Hinata.

"What?"

"Just do it."

"Alright!" Hinata's eyes were twinkling. Immediately, he broke out into a grin filled with puppies and rainbows and all things good, making sure to aim it directly at Semi.

"Perfect." Tendou murmured, watching their pinch server melt right before their eyes. "It's a miracle Karasuno doesn't use this more."

"Still think it's gay, Semi?" Shirabu asked as his friend twisted back around to face forward in his seat. His eyes were glazed over, and Shirabu could tell that his heart was practically threatening to jump out of his chest. After all, there was yet to be someone immune to Hinata's charm. It was irresistible. That much was clear.

"Shut up," Semi mumbled, collapsing in his seat. "Go to hell."

Shirabu laughed lightly. "I believe I'm already there."

Semi glared best he could in his weakened state, which looked like him furrowing his eyebrows more than anything. The bus finally took off a few minutes later, carrying one heartsick team and an oblivious, smiley ginger.

xxx

"Where the hell could he be!" After noticing their second smallest player missing, Karasuno had been scrambling around for nearly 30 minutes, trying and failing to catch a glimpse of bright orange hair or red and white volleyball shoes.

"What if he got kidnapped?!"

"TANAKA. WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ASSUME THE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO HINATA." Daichi glared accusingly at his younger teammate. He didn't need any of Tanaka's wild predictions to send his already panicked team into a fit of hysteria.

Tanaka threw his hands up in surrender. "No, like I'm serious. Where else would he be?"

"The bathroom...?" Yamaguchi suggested weakly. Tanaka snorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, you mean the ones that we've checked like THIRTY TIMES EACH?! BE REALISTIC! PEOPLE DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR!"

Suga nodded frantically. "Hinata's supposed to be home in twenty minutes as well to babysit his sister. He's going to be late at this point! He said his mom would text him if any complications came up." Suga's eyes widened. "DUH! HE HAS HIS PHONE WITH HIM."

Nishinoya blinked. "Why." He asked flatly. "Aren't we supposed to leave them on the bus?"

Suga glared at the libero. "THAT DOESN'T MATTER RIGHT NOW, DOES IT?" The grey-haired setter took off into a sprint down one of the many hallways to the parking lot where their bus was located, his team only seconds behind. They all burst into the vehicle at once, causing it to rock a little due to the force of the impact.

"I'LL TEXT HIM!" Yamaguchi cried, holding his phone up triumphantly. Suga nodded at him to continue; the fear still evident in his eyes. If Hinata didn't answer his phone...he didn't know what he would do. Yamaguchi nodded back and got to works speed typing a message for their missing teammate.

To: the tinier giant :)

From: Me

hinata where r u? we're rlly worried.

Delivered

A small ding emanated from Yamaguchi's phone, signaling that Hinata had texted back almost immediately. Karasuno let out a collective sigh of relief as they all looked at Yamaguchi expectedly, waiting for him to read the message.

From: the tinier giant :)

To: Me

Sorry! I meant to text you. I'm with Shiratorizawa! Don't worry about me. You guys can load up and get going!

Read

"Um." Yamaguchi stared blankly at the text message. Out of all the possibilities that had run through his mind about where his teammate could be, this most definitely wasn't one of them.

"Well? Where is he? Is he okay?!" It took all Kageyama had not to rip the phone out of Yamaguchi's hand and read the message for himself.

"I-uh, I don't know?" Yamaguchi replied shakily. He knew it probably wasn't the best choice of words to use in front of his overprotective teammates about the ginger, but it was the truth.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tsukishima's voice was cold. "Where is he?"

"He, uh, he says that he's with Shiratorizawa." Yamaguchi ignored the gasps from his teammates and continued. "He also said he's fine and that we should get going..."

"Get going?" Asahi furrowed his brow. "What does that mean?"

"If he thinks we're gonna just leave him with Shiratorizawa, he's dead wrong!" Nishinoya crossed his arms and glared at nothing. "Every guy on that team could crush Shouyou between their thumb and pointer finger! Not to mention they're probably pissed at him considering WE JUST BEAT THEM IN A GAME FOR NATIONALS!"

"Uh oh," Suga muttered. All eyes turned to him. "Yamaguchi, do you remember what Hinata said Ushijima said to him in the middle of the match?"

Yamaguchi paled and nodded. "Oh. Yeah." After a moment of silence, Kageyama decided he couldn't stand it anymore.

"WELL? WHAT DID HE SAY?"

Yamaguchi wrinkled his nose. "If I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of 'Shrimp are for eating, not playing.'" A shocked silence filled the bus.

"Bastard," Tanaka grumbled finally. "I WILL BEAT HIM UP IF HES SO MUCH AS TOUCHED A HAIR ON HINATA'S HEAD."

"Did he really say that?" Daichi asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

Suga nodded. "According to Hinata, yeah. And I don't know why he would lie about something like that."

Another ding came from Yamaguchi's phone, causing more than a few members of the team to jump up in surprise.

From: the tinier giant :)

To: Me

This is Ushijima on Hinata's phone. Hinata says you guys are probably freaking out right now, so I should probably clear some things up. Hinata is fine. He ran into Tendou and me in the hallways after getting separated and needed a quick way home. He is on the Shiratorizawa bus right now, and we are on the way to drop him off at his house. I only have one question.

Read

Yamaguchi held up the phone for everyone to see. Daichi grabbed it quickly, earning a cry of protest and surprise from Yamaguchi before the captain started vigorously typing a message.

To: the tinier giant :)

From: Me

This is Daichi, captain of Karasuno. Firstly, if any type of harm, emotional, mental, physical, or otherwise comes to our first year, we will end you personally. Secondly. What is your question?

Delivered

The team waited a few seconds before the message came through.

From: the tinier giant :)

To: Me

If I offered him a place on Shiratorizawa, would you be mad?

Read

"Um." Daichi stared at the phone in his hand. Tanaka rolled his eyes and ripped it away.

To: the tinier giant :)

From: Me

THIS IS TANAKA. I WILL MURDER YOU IF YOU DO. END OF STORY. HINATA. IS. OURS.

Delivered

Will a huff, Tanaka tossed the phone back to Yamaguchi.

"So...what now?" Tsukishima asked, just as baffled as the rest of his teammates.

"We...go home? I guess?" Asahi bit his lip. "Right?"

Daichi nodded numbly. "I guess so? I mean, we can't get Hinata if he's already on the road."

Ennoshita, who had been silent during this whole ordeal, tapped his chin. "Do you think we should make a slight detour to Hinata's house? Just to see if he's okay, I mean."

Suga brightened considerably. "Hey, that's a good idea, Ennoshita! I don't think it's too far from the school since he bikes there every day, right?"

Kageyama sighed, whether it was in relief or annoyance no one knew. "I have the dumbass's address. He lives up in the mountains."

"The mountains?" Nishinoya interjected. "Seriously? And he bikes to school every day?"

Kageyama shrugged like it was no big deal. "Where do you think he gets all of his stamina from?"

Daichi clapped his hands together loudly. "It's settled then! To Hinata's house, we go!"

xxx

"Are you SURE we can't just keep him?" Tendou whined, watching remorsefully from the bus window as the fluffy orange head of hair disappeared inside his little house near the top of the mountain.

Ushijima nodded, he to watching his newfound friend. "Yeah. I asked Karasuno."

Shirabu whipped around. "SERIOUSLY?! YOU ACTUALLY ASKED? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Tendou mockingly stuck his tongue out at the setter. "Don't pretend like you didn't want to keep him too, Shirabu."

Shirabu had nothing to say to that. It was true, after all. In fact, the thought had crossed most, if not all, of the members of Shiratorizawa's minds. Just a few moments prior, before Hinata had exited the bus, he had smiled one last time and yelled his thanks to the volleyball team. The Shiratorizawa team returned his enthusiasm with multiple promises from everyone to see him again soon. They had eventually ended up adding him to their team group chat so he could get all of their numbers, including the coaches if Hinata decided he wanted any pointers.

"Well?" Tendou asked after a moment. "What'd they say?"

"They sent us death threats," Ushijima replied, face still as stoic as ever.

Tendou nodded. "Yeah. I figured they would. Still, though..." His voice trailed off. "Would death really be that bad if we had the epitome of sunshine on our team?"

xxx

"HINATA!" Kageyama stumbled through the familiar front door with the rest of Karasuno right behind him, causing the boy in question to jump in surprise. "ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Hinata fixed a perplexed gaze on his teammates. "Uhm? Yes? Why wouldn't I be?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

Suga ignored Hinata's question and pushed Kageyama out of the way so he could stand up in the front. "DID SHIRATORIZAWA HURT YOU AT ALL?!"

"Jeez, tone it down a notch, will ya?" Tuskishima muttered, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from Tanaka. He lowered his voice an octave. "He's clearly fine."

Hinata waved off Suga's concern with a sparkling laugh. "What? No! They were all super duper nice! Ushijima offered to buy me icecream this weekend as a congratulation about our win against them, and I'm seeing Yamagata, one of their liberos, this weekend to help me work on my receives!"

Nishinoya let out a strangled cry of betrayal while the rest of the team just looked at their middle blocker with dumbfounded expressions.

"They even added me to their team group chat!" Hinata exclaimed, quickly pulling out his phone to show them. "See!"

"Of course they did," Tuskishima grumbled, crossing his arms. "Of freaking course."

Daichi rubbed his face with his hands. "Hinata, how do you do that." He asked breathlessly.

Hinata shrugged. "What do you mean? They're the ones who became friends with me! I didn't even do anything! They were just super nice!" The entire team groaned inwardly. How someone could be so oblivious to the apparent power they hold over everyone they meet, they didn't know. "Anyway," Hinata chirped. "I just finished making dinner for my sister and me, but there's more than enough to go around. Wanna join?" There it was again. That famous Hinata charm and charisma that drew people right to him whether they liked it or not.

As the rest of the team accepted his offer vigorously and walked off to where the ginger had said the kitchen was, Kageyama caught him by the arm and pulled him aside."Remember what we talked about, dumbass," Kageyama muttered. "Communication, you idiot. Just like the thing with Kuroo and Kozume."

Hinata grinned smugly. "Awww, was Bakayama worried?"

Kageyama scowled. "No, you moron. I couldn't care less about you."

Hinata stuck out his tongue and wiggled out of Kageyama's grasp to follow the rest of his teammates to the kitchen. "I'm glad the feeling's mutual, Bakayama!"

Kageyama rolled his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips. "Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it!


	3. Training Camp Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everyone not on Karasuno forbidden by Daichi to interact with the little ginger during training camp, Bokuto, Ushijima, and Kuroo had no choice but to take matters into their own hands. It might get them killed by Hinata's volleyball team but hey, when has any of them ever backed down from a challenge?
> 
> Aobajohsai next!  
> (sorry this chapter took a hot minute lol)

"Okay, everyone! Listen up!" Daichi clapped his hands together authoritatively. Sitting before him were Oikawa, Ushijima, Kuroo, and Bokuto, aka the captains of all the teams to be attending the training camp taking place in under a week. It was rare for all five captains to get together at one time and place, but Daichi had called for each of them personally, saying the matter was urgent and could not be ignored. "It has come to my attention that some of you have been bothering a certain first year of ours." Daichi glared pointedly at Kuroo and Ushijima, who both exchanged looks and unashamed nods.

Oikawa raised his hand. "Who exactly are we talking about here?" He glanced at Nekoma and Shiratorizawa's captains, mentally noting their smug grins and broad, proud smiles. "You two look awfully suspicious."

Daichi shushed Oikawa with a wave of his hand and continued speaking. "For those of you who don't already know," He glared again at Kuroo and Ushijima. Bokuto and Oikawa locked eyes momentarily, the latter sending his fellow captain an eyebrow raise, which the owl haired spiker returned with a shrug. They had NO idea what was going on. Daichi cleared his through and directed his attention at the two confused volleyball players, sensing their obliviousness to the situation.

"If you don't know yet, then never mind." He stated, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. "Just stay away from Hinata Shouyou."

"The shorty?" Bokuto interrupted. "But I love that guy! He's my favorite little pupil!"

Kuroo's eyes sparkled. "You've had comical adventures with him too! This is great!" He turned to Ushijima. "We need to add him to our group chat." He said seriously, jamming his thumb over his shoulder to where Bokuto was sitting.

"What? I-what?" Bokuto waved his hands in protest. "I've just helped him practice volleyball a bit, that's all."

"Oh." Kuroo shook his head at Ushijima before turning back to his friend to pat him on the shoulder. "All in good time, Bokuto. All in good time."

Daichi sighed, putting his fingers to the bride of his nose. He didn't even want to think about whatever group chat Kuroo and Ushijima had involving his smaller teammate. "Look. Just don't come near him outside of matches, okay?" He placed his hands on his hips. "Hinata's going to have at least one person with him at ALL times, so don't even try whisking him away on a crazy adventure or just for the sake of spending time with him. This is a training camp, not a social hour."

Oikawa rolled his eyes. "Relax, Daichi. I have no interest in your pesky middle blocker whatsoever, and...hey, why are you looking at me like that?" This last part was aimed at Ushijima, who was glaring at Oikawa so intensely that it took all he had not to shake under his intense gaze physically. "Wha-was it something I said?"

"I will punch you," Ushijima replied darkly.

Oikawa threw his hands up in front of his face in a feeble effort to protect himself. "What?!" He squawked. "Why?!"

Daichi rubbed his temples. "Nevermind that. Just...don't try anything with him, okay? We need to stay focused during this training camp, and I don't want Hinata bombarded with people every waking minute. Pass this message onto your team as well." Daichi glanced up weakly at the four captains, his patience wearing thin. "The only member of another team I'll allow near him is Kozume. That's IT." He let out a puff of air. "Questions?"

"What if I'm with Kenma?"

"No, Kuroo."

"But-"

"No, Kuroo."

"How about if I'm with Kenma?"

"Ushijima, you don't even know Kenma!"

"Worth a shot."

Oikawa exhaled deeply. "Can someone please tell me whats going on? Why do you want us away from the Shorty? It's not like we're gonna try to recruit him or something."

"Right." Daichi scowled at Ushijima, who, in turn, shrugged innocently. "Because that would be stupid." He sighed. "Look. Just stay away from Hinata if you don't want to die next week, okay?"

Bokuto smirked. "Whatever you say, captain. But don't come crying to me when the little ginger's begging you to teach him some new tricks because his very favorite teacher is avoiding him."

Daichi smiled lightly. Even if they didn't follow the rules, he had ten more than willing teammates on standby, ready to step in and interfere if they tried anything. Hinata's friendship was infectious, and from his previous experiences, he had decided it was best not to let anyone get too attached to Hinata. Last training camp, five separate players had given Hinata farewell gift baskets filled with meat buns, candy, and other goodies, prompting the young boy to burst into tears and refuse to leave until he got them a proper gift as well. Of course, they couldn't exactly leave without their entire team, and if they had, Daichi was sure some other team would scoop him up and take him away. It had been a very long three hours for Karasuno that day. Daichi groaned inwardly. By now, Hinata probably had more contacts in his phone than everyone on Karasuno combined.

"You guys can go now if that wasn't already clear," Daichi said, waving the captains away. "Just remember what I said. Get as much time as you want with him this week because next week, he's completely off-limits." With that, the wing spiker walked calmly out the door, a threatening aura still surrounding him as he turned the corner and disappeared from the four captain's sights.

After a moment, Kuroo saluted at the spot where Daichi had been standing before he grabbed Bokuto's wrist, dragging him up from the hardwood floor and towards the door. "Come one, man! I'm going to change your life." He grinned. "I'm going to show you the real Hinata Shouyou!"

Bokuto blinked. "Uh, in case you haven't noticed by now, I'm Hinata's favorite teacher." He jammed a thumb proudly at his chest. "I think I know the shorty preeeeetty well if I do say so myself."

Kuroo shook his head rapidly, still pulling Bokuto along by his arm. "No man, that's volleyball Hinata! I'm going to show you the smiley-sparkily-puppy doggy-laughy-bubbly Hinata!"

Ushijima nodded as he too got up from his crisscross position on the floor. "I'll come along as well if you don't mind. I haven't seen Hinata since last Sunday." Kuroo nodded vigorously, yanking Bokuto through the thick doors and out into the sunlight with one fluid flick of his wrist while gushing endlessly about how lifechanging this experience would be for him. Ushijima followed closely behind, leaving a very puzzled Oikawa alone in Karasuno's gym.

"The hell..." He muttered to himself, getting up slowly and brushing off the back of his shorts. A little under a month ago, Matsukawa had burst into practice with the story that he had seen Hinata with Tendou, Ushijima, and Shirabu at an ice cream shop down the street. He then claimed that he had seen Ushijima LAUGHING along with Hinata and the others. Everyone had immediately called bullshit, because A; there was no way that three members of Shiratorizawa were hanging out casually with a member of Karasuno, the team who had BEAT them to nationals, especially Hinata Shouyou of all people. And B; Ushijima never laughed. Ever. No one could even wrap their head around the mental image of the enormous ace smiling, forget full-blown laughing. Oikawa frowned. He hadn't believed Matsukawa's story for even a second when first hearing it, but after seeing how Ushijima had perked up at the chance to see the tiny spiker, he couldn't help but wonder.

He sighed. No use in thinking about it now. Plus, what could be so great about someone as average as Karasuno's number ten anyway?

xxx

(lemme know if you want a chapter on Bokuto meeting the 'real' Hinata lol)

xxx

One week later

"Suga." Daichi pulled his fellow third-year away from the rest of the team. "Everything ready?"

Suga nodded affirmatively. "Yeah. Kageyama's taking the first watch during the first round of training. Noya and Tanaka are sticking by him during lunch and the free period since those are the times he's most likely to get jumped." Suga sent a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. "I'm keeping watch during the second round of training. Yamaguchi offered to follow Hinata around after training camp ends for the day to steer him away from other players."

Daichi raised an eyebrow, happy with the list yet confused. "Why Yamaguchi? I mean, he's practically the least threatening person on our team."

Suga nodded. "Yeah. But with Yamaguchi comes Tsukishima, and everyone knows not to get on his bad side."

Daichi smiled. "And I'm keeping watch from a distance. You sure everyone's cool with doing all this for seven days?"

Suga nodded again. "Kageyama asked for me to pay for ten cartons of milk for his service, but I suspect he just didn't want me to think he actually cared about Hinata's safety."

Daichi laughed lightly. "Yeah. Sounds like him."

"Hey, Daichi! Suga!"

The men in question looked down to find the little blocker they had just been talking about bouncing readily on his heels. "Could I take a quick bathroom break?" He blinked rapidly, the speed of his bounces increasing. "I'll be fast, I promise!"

Suga discreetly signaled to Kageyama, who huffed and trudged over to Hinata's side. The grey-haired let a ghost of a smile grace his lips before nodding gently to the hyperactive ginger.

"Thanks, Suga!" Hinata beamed. "I'll be back before the first practice match, I promise!"

"I'll come with you, dumbass," Kageyama said smoothly, slipping his hands onto Hinata's shoulder to push him roughly out of the gym. "I gotta go too, so, y' know. Convenience." Hinata raised his eyebrow, clearly not buying Kageyama's admittedly lousy acting for a second, but allowing himself to be manhandled toward the doors.

Suga hummed in thought as the two first years exited the gym. "I think I'll buy him twenty thingies of milk. Just for having to deal with Hinata's morning bathroom breaks every day."

Daichi rolled his eyes. "Fine by me, but it's coming out of your wallet."

"Meanie."

"Did you really think I was gonna pay for you?"

"..."

"Ohmygod, Suga no."

xxx

"Bakayama, we've been walking in circles for like a billion years." Hinata groaned. "Face it. We're lost." Kageyama threw an annoyed look over his shoulder at his teammate behind him.

"Shut up. No, we're not."

Hinata rolled his eyes. "Kageyama. We totally are."

The setter glared at the floor. "No, we're not. This is the right way; I'm positive."

"It better be," Hinata huffed, "Because if I'm not in a bathroom in two minutes, I will literally pee all over the floor."

Kageyama coughed, unfazed. "No hesitation or anything?"

"No hesitation. I really really need to go."

"Gross."

"You're gross."

"Shut up, you stupid orange."

"That's a new one," Hinata grumbled. He was silent for a moment before noticing a silhouette standing at the end of the hallway they were in. His eyes widened."Hey, isn't that the Grand King?"

"What?" Kageyama looked over in the direction of Hinata's finger. "Oh shit."

"KAGEYAMA!" Hinata gasped in mock disbelief. The setter rolled his eyes and roughly grabbed Hinata's wrist, dragging him back down the hallway they came from.

"Whatever. I think I saw the bathroom over down this way."

Hinata pinched Kageyama's forearm, causing him to yelp and let go of Hinata's hand. "You're a terrible liar, Bakayama. I just wanna see what he's doing so far away from the gym by himself." He glared pointedly at his partner before sprinting down the corridor, shouting Oikawa's name.

"Wha-DUMBASS NO, DON'T-" After a moment's hesitation, Kageyama ran after his hyperactive teammate. Daichi was totally going to murder him if he heard about this. "COME BACK YOU IDIOT I THOUGHT YOU HAD TO PEE!"

Hinata stuck his tongue out over his shoulder and bounded up to Oikawa, who stumbled back a bit at the sight of a head of orange hair flying up to him. "Shrimpy!"

"The Grand King!" Hinata's eyes sparkled in adoration. Oikawa stared. He didn't like the feeling in his chest when he looked at the smaller orange blocker. It was like his heart was folding in on itself. The setter blinked once before shaking it off. Probably some bad breakfast or something.

"Shrimpy?" He replied again, cocking an eyebrow at the small player bouncing in front of him. "What are you doing so far from the gym?"

Hinata opened his mouth to reply before literally getting bowled over by Kageyama, making Oikawa jump back a few paces in surprise.

"Tobio? What are you doing?"

Kageyama glared at Oikawa wordlessly before turning his attention back to Hinata, who was currently sprawled under him, and smacked him upside the head. "Dumbass." He hissed. The last thing he needed was for Hinata to unleash one of his sunshine smiles right into the face of his former mentor and shower him with compliment and praise, which would undoubtedly reel the obsessive setter right into the inescapable trap known as Hinata's friendship.

Oikawa stifled a laugh at the sight in front of him. "What was that, Tobio? Tackling poor Shorty like that?" He put a finger to his chin in a mocking thinking position. "Never really took you for the violent type, I've gotta say."

Kageyama rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Shut up, Oikawa." He huffed, turning so he could adequately talk to his former teammate. "I thought Daichi told you to stay away from Hinata."

Oikawa nodded slowly, finger still scratching his chin. "He did." He wrinkled his nose. "I don't know why though. What's so special about the ginger that everyone loves so much?"

Kageyama let out an audible sigh of relief. At least Karasuno wouldn't have to deal with him while they were here. "Nothing. It's none of your business. Just don't come near him again." He turned away to talk back to a still groaning Hinata.

"Technically, though, I kept up my end of the bargain. The Shorty came to me." He threw up his hands as Kageyama sent a nasty scowl over his shoulder before roughly yanking his teammate up by his shoulders and steering him away from the captain. Oikawa let out a huff and crossed his arms. If there was one thing he hated more than prodigies, it was being left in the dark about something everyone else seemed to know. He grumbled, furrowing his brow. He would get to the bottom of the mystery with Karasuno's number ten. He swore it.

xxx

Other than the incident with Oikawa (though Kageyama had made Hinata promise not to tell anyone about it,) training camp for Karasuno went by relatively smooth. Not one member of an opposing team, save Kenma, had so much as spoken to Hinata in the last five days, though it wasn't without consequence. Everyone on Karasuno was positively beat from having to look after Hinata from morning to night. They knew their little ginger had energy, but they had never anticipated precisely how much. The middle blocker would literally race everywhere, zooming from room to room and from volleyball court to volleyball court to watch the other matches. This was no problem for Kageyama, of course, who was the only one on the team that could keep up with Hinata's speed. However, everyone else was another story.

Kuroo, Ushijima, and Bokuto merely watched Karasuno day by day from the sidelines, not approaching them because, you know, they wanted to actually live through training camp, and observed them chase Hinata from corridor to corridor until they couldn't take it anymore. All according to plan.

The week before, after Ushijima and Kuroo had dragged out to introduce Bokuto to the 'real' Hinata Shouyou, the three of them, including Hinata, had made a plan. Kuroo had instructed his smaller friend to be as hyperactive as possible, telling him to run everywhere and cause his teammates as much trouble as he could as they attempted to watch over him. Hinata had looked at them, confused, but had agreed when Bokuto promised that he would be rewarded with a surprise.

The three captains smirked at each other. It wouldn't be long now. Karasuno was practically dead, all of the members fighting to stay awake as they entered the sixth day of training camp, save for one ginger, who still had energy for days despite being the one who had run around more than anyone. They just had to wait until later that night when Karasuno's guard was down, and then they would make their move.

xxx

"Hinata!"

Hinata whirled around, just having exited the bathroom to head back to the dorm he shared with his teammates. "Yeah?" He asked tentatively, eyes frantically searching for the mysterious voice.

"Where's your team?" Bokuto poked his head out from around the corner, making the ginger jump in surprise.

"Uh..." Hinata read the clock on the wall. "It's 10:17 at night. They're all sleeping, I think. Why?" Hinata jumped again as Kuroo and Ushijima's head appeared from the corner as well. Kuroo grinned at Bokuto, while Ushijima's eyes just held a mischievous glint. This was beyond perfect.

"Are you sure?" Bokuto whispered again. "They're all asleep? Every last one of them?"

Hinata scratched his chin. "Yeah. I mean, they were when I left to brush my teeth a few minutes ago. I think they're pretty worn out from casing me around for six days straight. WAIT?!" Hinata whirled around to his three friends, his finger pointing accusingly at their foreheads. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it! Make me wear down my team so they wouldn't play as well in practice matches against you guys!" He glared, though it had no real heat behind it. "I bet there isn't even a surprise at all!"

Kuroo shook his head violently, stepping out from behind his hiding spot so Hinata could see more than just his head. "No, no, no! It's not that at all!" Seeing the smaller boy raise a suspicious eyebrow, Kuroo threw a helpless look over his shoulder, signaling for the others to back him up.

Ushijima and Bokuto emerged from their places behind the corner as well to stand next to Kuroo.

"Kuroo is telling the truth, Hinata," Ushijima said slowly. Bokuto nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! In case you haven't noticed, you haven't been alone once during this training camp." A confused expression quickly replaced Hinata's skeptical one. Taking this as confirmation to keep going, Bokuto continued. "Us three were planning on doing something with you this week, but Daichi forbade us from so much as looking at you while training camp was in session."

"Why?" Hinata inquired, interest piqued.

"Not important. When we told you to tire out your team, what we were really trying to do was get you alone so we could give you our surprise!" Bokuto grinned wildly. In reality, they hadn't been sure their plan was going to work when they had first come up with it, but after seeing how wiped Karasuno was after only the third day of training camp, they had deduced that their master plan would, in fact, be a success.

"Oh." Hinata was silent for a moment before his face split into a blinding smile, causing Ushijima to double over, stuttering, Bokuto to smile even wider and sling his arm around Hinata's shoulder, and Kuroo to just stare. Hinata's eyes twinkled. "So, I get my surprise tonight!"

Kuroo nodded, slightly dazed. Hinata's smiles never got old, no matter who looked at them. "Yeah."

"As long as everyone on your team's still asleep," Bokuto interjected, eyes darting toward Karasuno's dorm. "We don't exactly want to get murdered by your teammates if one of them is still awake and they notice your missing."

"I can go check if you want!" Hinata chirped, untangling himself from Bokuto's humongous arm. Ushijima nodded numbly, unable to do any more than mumble a few incoherent words.

Kuroo snickered at Ushijima before turning back to the middle blocker. "Yeah, that'd probably be for the best. We'll grab everyone else."

Hinata's eyes widened in excitement. "Who's everyone else?"

Bokuto waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Meet us in front of the gym if everyone on your team is asleep. If you're not there in ten minutes, we'll assume our plan has been foiled." With a dramatic eyebrow wiggle, Bokuto grabbed the hem of Ushijima's shirt and dragged him down the hallway leading Shiratorizawa's dorms. At the same time, Kuroo took off down a separate corridor towards his own team's quarters.

"Hope to see you there, shorty!" The rooster haired captain called over his shoulder.

After all three captains disappeared from sight, Hinata wasted no time. He quickly turned around and sprinted towards the room his team was currently occupying, both his socks and the carpeted hallway silencing his footsteps. He slowed down a bit as he got closer. Nishinoya was a notoriously light sleeper, surprisingly enough, and the lightest of sounds had been known to wake him up. Hinata was reasonably sure that the libero's cot had been placed furthest from the door so the noise of it opening and closing wouldn't disturb his slumber, but he wasn't 100% positive. He would have to be careful.

Hinata's jog slowed to a tip-toe when the room came into view. He slowly approached it, keeping his ears open for any sounds emanating from the room. After hearing none, he cautiously reached out for the doorknob before him and oh so slightly cracked the door open, letting a sliver of light into the otherwise pitch-black room. Hinata held his breath for a moment, but after hearing nothing, he slowly exhaled and closed the door as gently as possible.

It was official.

Karasuno was dead to the world.

A giddy feeling filled Hinata's stomach as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He was beyond excited. If he had to pick the thing he loved the most besides volleyball, his answer would, without a doubt, be surprises. He shuffled away from the room quietly, practically bursting at the seams in anticipation. After deciding he'd put enough distance between himself and his sleeping teammates, he quickly shifted into a sprint, weaving throughout the numerous hallways before exiting the building entirely.

Hinata arrived at the parking lot a little under seven minutes. He was greeted by a relatively large group of people, all dressed in casual t-shirts and shorts like he was.

"Hinata!" Bokuto exclaimed, grinning widely. "We almost didn't think you would make it!"

Hinata looked around, ignoring Bokuto's comment. "What's going on? Why are there so many people here?"

Kuroo stepped forward, smirking from under his hair. "It's part of the surprise." He exclaimed, gesturing to two people behind him. "I brought Lev and Kenma along with me." The captain stepped to the side to allow the ginger a full view of his two teammates behind him. Lev raised an affectionate eyebrow and put up a hand in greeting. Kenma, on the other hand, had yet to notice Hinata had arrived. He had his headphones plugged deep into his ears and was too engrossed in his phone to acknowledge any new additions to the group.

"Hey, Kenma!" Hinata waved enthusiastically. Kenma perked up slightly, lifting his gaze from his device to meet Hinata's eyes. He smiled gently.

"Hi, Shouyou." He responded, pocketing his phone and carefully taking out his earbuds. "Good to see you." Kuroo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was unfair, really, now quickly Hinata could get Kenma to smile. If it were anyone else, Kuroo would be annoyed or jealous, but it was Hinata. Honestly, Kuroo couldn't blame his childhood friend for smiling whenever he was around.

Bokuto cleared his throat in an attempt to get Hinata's attention. "I brought Akaashi!" He announced proudly, pushing his friend forcefully by the shoulder to stand in front of Hinata. Hinata nodded eagerly.

"Oh yeah! You're Fukurodani's setter, right?" He beamed. "You're pretty awesome! I've seen you and Bokuto play together!"

A few snickers traveled throughout the group as Akaashi's calm and passive exterior fell away in an instant, eyes blinking down in surprise at the still smiling boy and mouth opening and closing as a light pink dusted his cheeks.

Ushijima eyed Akaashi warily. "First time?" He asked, deadly serious. Bokuto nodded.

"Yeah. I figured getting him exposed to Hinata's charm now was as good a time as ever."

Hinata tore his eyes away from the blushing setter to look at Bokuto, mouth opening to form a question but was quickly cut off by Ushijima's booming voice.

"I brought the regulars." He stepped to the side to reveal Tendou, Shirabu, and Semi, all smiling and waving at the orangette. Hinata grinned.

"Long time no see, Hinata!" Semi exclaimed, walking over to his friend to ruffle his unruly curls. "I heard you guys went to get ice cream without me a few weeks ago." He raised an eyebrow in mock annoyance. "What's that all about?"

Hinata pouted and crossed his arms, ignoring the slightly confused gazes of those around him. "You were babysitting your cousins! What were we supposed to do? Wait?" He scoffed as if it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever hard. Semi furrowed his brow.

"Um, YES! OBVIOUSLY!"

Hinata smiled good-naturedly at Semi before turning to the group around him. "So, what exactly is happening here?"

"We're taking you to Tokyo Tower!" Lev declared, never one for suspense. Hinata's eyes widened to the size of saucers and puffed out his cheeks.

"SERIOUSLY!"

Kuroo glared at Lev before nodding in confirmation. "Yeah. It was Kenma's idea. He said he remembered you talking about always wanting to see it someday while at one of your sleepovers." Kenma blushed and waved off Hinata's shining eyes.

"It was nothing." He wrung out his hands in a nervous manner. "I just figured that since we're here, you know, it would be a good chance for you to see it finally."

"THANK YOU, KENMA!" Hinata tackled his pudding haired friend in a hug, causing the pink on his cheeks to darken into red.

"You're welcome, Shouyou." The setter replied softly, using his left hand to reach around Hinata's back to squeeze his shoulder lightly. Kuroo suppressed a sigh. Of course. Kenma, king of introverts and hater of all things touchy, was hugging Karasuno's number ten. He groaned inwardly. Then again, the list of things Hinata couldn't get people to do for him was very few.

"We'd been planning this little stunt for a while," Kuroo continued, "But it got a little more complicated when Daichi told us we weren't allowed anywhere near you at training camp. I asked Ushijima and Bokuto for advice about what to do about it, and after suggesting the plan to tire your team out, they asked if they could come along with a couple of their team members who were close to you as well."

"Everyone on our team loves Hinata," Shirabu interjected before gesturing to Tendou, Semi, and himself. "The rest of the team nearly fought us three after learning that we were the only ones getting an opportunity to see him tonight."

Lev nodded. "Me, Kuroo, and Kenma are the only ones who've been exposed to Hinata's friendship magnetism so far on Nekoma, so we didn't really have a problem like that."

All eyes turned to Bokuto expectantly. He shrugged. "I just didn't want to be alone." He pointed to Akaashi, who had recovered from his daze but kept his eyes tracked on Hinata. "I brought him along for exposure. Y'know, so he didn't completely melt if Shorty smiled at him in the hallway or something." Murmurs of understanding spread throughout the small crowd of people. Hinata, who was still clinging to Kenma, turned to face his friend.

"What're they talking about 'exposure'?"

Kenma smirked fondly at the ginger before pushing him off lightly, sending him falling to the ground on his butt with a grunt. It was beyond him how someone could be so naive to such a unique ability. "If you don't know, then never mind." He mumbled, unconsciously twirling one of Hinata's curls between his fingertips as the latter stared up at him with an expression of confusion and excitement.

"So, can we get going now?"

Kenma nodded and waved his free hand in Kuroo's direction. Getting the message, the dark-haired captain clapped his hands together loudly.

"Let's get moving, everyone! We've been standing here for long enough!" His words were met with sharp nods, and the group promptly set off to Tokyo Tower.

xxx

"Hey, hey, heyyyy! Hinata!" Bokuto bounded over to the ginger and yanked him away from his conversation with Lev, merely shrugging off the glare he received from the grey-haired boy. "Can you do something for me?"

Hinata nodded, curious. "Sure. What is it?"

Bokuto leaned down to Hinata's height so he could whisper properly in his ear. Hinata listened, a slightly confused expression gracing his face before whispering something back to his upperclassman. Bokuto nodded and watched triumphantly as Hinata pranced over to Akaashi. This was going to be fun.

"Hey! You're Akaashi, right?" The boy in question turned his head carefully to the size to meet Hinata's adoring gaze, an almost perfect imitation of a puppy wanting to be pet.

"Yeah." He mumbled dumbly, trying and failing to rip his eyes away from Hinata's cheerful features. "That's right."

"Cool! I was hoping I remembered it right!" He smiled dopily, once again practically sending the poor setter into cardiac arrest. "I've seen you play a few times before! You're outstanding! Do you think that me and you could practice together sometime?" He let out a little pout. "Kageyama's too mean to teach me anything about setting, and Suga said it'd be better if I learned on my own. But with someone as good as you mentoring me, I'm sure I could get the hang of it in no time!"

Hinata beamed excitedly, reducing the already falling apart setter to nothing more than a blundering, stuttering mess who could barely will himself to move to keep up with the group. "I hope you'll consider it, Akaashi!" Hinata said, completely ignoring his clearly dumb state. He rifled around in the pockets of his shorts for a second before pulling out an old training regimen and a pencil leftover from finals. The small middle blocker quickly jotted something down on the backside of the paper before smoothly slipping it into Akaashi's pocket.

"That's my number. Text me when you decide, okay!" It took a tremendous amount of effort for Akaashi to even nod at Hinata, who, in turn, flashed him another blinding smile before returning to a still peeved Lev.

"Well?" Bokuto walked to his teammate's side, putting his arm around his shoulders and playfully poking his cheek. "What'd I tell ya? And you didn't even believe me at first."

"Shut up," Akaashi mumbled, making a feeble attempt to push Bokuto's arm off. "When you said off the volleyball court he was likable, I thought you meant normally likable. Not..." He gestured weakly to the bobbing head of orange hair in front of them. "That."

Bokuto snorted. "I know, right? That kid has practically got charisma oozing out of his body. Wanna know the worst part?" He continued without listening for Akaashi's answer. "He doesn't even know he's doing it."

"Really?" Akaashi could still barely stand upright and had to rely on his team captain to guide him along the sidewalks with the others.

Bokuto nodded seriously. "Yeah. All he had to do is flash someone a smile, say a few words, and BAM!" He snapped his fingers to punctuate the remark. "Instant devotion and companionship."

"Does he really not know he's doing it? I mean, he's bound to notice a pattern sometime, right?" Bokuto ruffled Akaashi's hair in response.

"Yep. Completely and utterly oblivious." He stifled a laugh, getting a good look at his setter's appearance for the first time. "Look at you! You've completely fallen under his spell." Akaashi scowled weakly. "I bet you'd murder me without a second thought if Hinata asked you too, wouldn't you."

"I'd be willing to murder you without a second thought anyway, Bakato." He grumbled, crossing his arms in protest. Bokuto's smile only grew wider as he poked Akaashi's cheek again.

"You didn't say noooooo!." He taunted, drawing out the O as much as he could. Akaashi couldn't say anything to that. He doubted he could resist anything the small ginger asked of him in his dazed current state, homicide or otherwise.

"We're here!" Tendou's naturally mocking voice called out to the rest of the group, signaling that they'd arrived at their destination.

"REALLY!" Hinata jumped away once again from his conversation with Lev, prompting another annoyed huff from the grey-haired boy, and scrambled up to Ushijima to hang on his shoulder, koala style, desperate for a better look at the monument he had been waiting to see for so long.

"WOAH!" His mouth dropped open as he took in the sight of a humongous red and white tower glowing brightly against the black sky. If joy could be made into a person, that person would be Hinata right at that very moment. His eyes radiated awe and thrill as he stared up at the monument, hopelessly stunned at finally seeing the thing he'd so desperately wanted to see for so long. He went slack, the only thing keeping him from hitting the concrete below being Ushijima's hands.

"IT'S AMAZING!" He cried out after a moment of stunned silence, causing everyone around him to jump at the sudden noise. "THANK YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH!" He was immediately met with warm, doting smiles and adoring eyes. It was a fantastic feeling, making the person who made everyone else smile be the one smiling because of their actions for a change.

xxx

The night went by pretty quickly after that. Hinata had made a point to show everyone just how grateful he was for this opportunity, making sure to hug every single person in the group tightly, which of course, wasn't protested in the slightest by anyone. After receiving more than a few ruffles of his hair and pats on his head, Hinata had sprinted ahead, desperate to get a better look.

The grounds surrounding the tower were empty in the dead of night, save for a security guard the group saw patrolling near the area they were. After a brief conversation between the members of said group and a little nudging from Shirabu, Hinata had separated from the rest of the volleyball players to have a 'chat' with the old man, and of course, had ended up effortlessly befriending him in the process after a particularly wholesome conversation about Hinata's little sister and the security guard's similarity aged granddaughter. This had been the outcome the rest of the group had been hoping for, but they didn't admit that to Hinata. They decided it was best just to sit back and watch their friend unconsciously do his magic.

After the rest of the group emerged from their hiding spot and mentioned how excited their little friend was about seeing the tower for the first time, the old security guard made a split-second decision to let the teenagers go up to the observation deck, earning himself a blinding smile from Hinata and a promise to arrange a play date between Natsu and the man's granddaughter.

Several eventful hours and a free meal (which was once again courtesy of Hinata's irresistible charm and promises to come by the restaurant next Wednesday to market to customers) later, the group of volleyball players decided it was time to head back to their facility. It was nearly 3 am at this point, and everyone, including the hyperactive ginger, was exhausted.

However, though pretty much everyone had only come along in the first place for a chance to see Hinata, the craziness of the night and the adventures they had all shared over the hours had brought everyone from all the teams, even Kenma, closer together. The previously semi-uncomfortable silences between the opposing team members had been quickly replaced with comfortable chatting and laughing. Sometime in the middle of their adventure, a group chat had been made with everyone's numbers and plans had been formed to get together the following week to see what more trouble they could stir up together.

What had previously started out as a group of nine people who were friends with Hinata ended with ten people who were friends with each other. Everyone was beyond grateful they went on this little excursion, no matter how sore or heavy their eyelids were. And to think, that countless beautiful friendships wouldn't have been formed that night if it hadn't been for one tiny, orange-haired middle blocker.

The group arrived at the training facility at a snail's pace, everyone having to lean on each other to keep themselves upright. After arriving in front of the gym, Shirabu had merely announced how tired he was, the fact that he gave no shits, and had thrown open the gym doors to drag himself in and curl up on the floor, his body instantly succumbing to sleep. The rest of the volleyball players muttered their agreements, all following Shirabu's example and collapsing onto each other and the floor just as he had.

And there they stayed until morning.

xxx

"Um. What the hell?"

Every volleyball team, save Aobajohsai, had woken up with at least one of their players missing, and each one was immediately thrown into a state of panic. This was including Shiraztorizawa, who was the only team who knew roughly the events that had taken place the night before, who were still near hysterics when they woke up to their four players still missing.

A frantic search had begun throughout the dorms, and with nowhere else to look, all four teams had gathered together to enter the gym, where they found the sleeping bodies of all their missing teammates.

Shirabu was directly in the middle of the slumber circle, having moved from his fetal position and had his limbs sprawling over his fellow volleyball players. Semi had Shirabu's leg thrown over his body and had his head pressed into Bokuto's side, a position which did not look comfortable at all but somehow seemed to work. Bokuto was slumped against Akaashi while the latter used his teammate's soft, grey hair to support his head. Ushijima was passed out next to Akaashi, back propped against the wall and head lolling slightly to the side while Tendou slept next to him, back on the ground, chest to the ceiling, and hands folded across his stomach. He looked creepy yet peaceful.

Kuroo was on the other side of Shirabu, using his hand as a makeshift pillow as a lazy smile graced the sleeping player's lips. Kenma's legs were draped gently across his childhood friend's stomach while his head was tucked into the crook of Hinata's neck, his multicolored hair covering his soft, passive features completely. Lev's head was positioned carefully on one of Kuroo's ankles for a pillow while Hinata was curled into Lev's side, head resting on top of Kenma's peacefully.

No one knew quite what to make of the sight before them. The teams all exchanged disbelieving looks before all coming to the same silent conclusion. They wordlessly closed the doors to the gym gently, making sure not to wake their ten sleeping teammates. After all, it was the last day of training camp. They could afford to take it easy. Plus, everyone involved in that cuddle pile had dark eye bags and pale faces. They needed the rest, that much was clear, whether it be in the gym or not.

Besides. There was no way anyone was going to deal with whatever dumpster fire that was first thing in the morning.

No sir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! Thank you all for your love and support, and I hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Bokuto's Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to squeeze one more chapter in for today since this one was widely requested! It's shorter compared to other chapters and the writing is kind of crap, but I sincerely hope you enjoy!
> 
> Bokuto meets the 'real' Hinata for the first time and oh boy, he sure is in for a ride.
> 
> Aobajohsai still coming next, I promise!

Bokuto didn't resist as the two taller captains dragged him halfway across the city to meet the so-called 'real' Hinata. Truthfully, the owl haired setter didn't get what his fellow volleyball players were so excited about. He had hung around with Hinata multiple times after various training camps to help him work on and expand his variety of skills. He knew Hinata inside and out, from the way he hit the ball to his tendencies to receive with his face. He didn't understand what Kuroo and Ushijima wanted to show him that he didn't already know.

The three arrived at the small house on the top of a mountain that Bokuto assumed to be where Hinata lived. Kuroo let go of Bokuto's wrist for the first time since they'd started walking and went up to knock on the door. The trio waited for a moment before a familiar head of orange hair poked out.

"Hey, Hinata!" Kuroo bellowed. "I hope the invitation to dinner still stands!"

Hinata hesitated for a second before lighting up the air around them with his sunny disposition. He smiled widely, and Bokuto raised an eyebrow at the sudden butterflies in his stomach. Forcing them down, he tore his eyes away from his pupil's joyous face to look at Kuroo.

"Dinner?" He asked quietly.

Hinata nodded enthusiastically in response, not even bothered by the sudden intrusion. "Yeah! My parents and sister are out of town visiting my family in America, so I'm here by myself for about a week and a half."

"Is that legal?" Bokuto whispered to Ushijima. The ace shrugged in response, eyes still fondly trained on Hinata's smile. The ginger didn't seem to notice Bokuto's comment and went on.

"I actually have another person over for dinner right now, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind at all if you two joined us!" Hinata then raised an eyebrow in question. "That is why you're here, right?"

Ushijima nodded slyly. He honestly had no idea Kuroo was taking them to dinner at Hinata's house; he had just wanted a chance to see his smaller friend. Not that he had any objections to eating at Hinata's place. After all, Ushijima had learned long ago that the middle blocker was about as skillful in the kitchen as he was at doing quicks.

"Um, are you sure this is okay?" Bokuto interjected, seemingly uncomfortable with the notion of intruding on someone else's dinner.

"Bokuto!" Hinata's eyes lit up even brighter, not having realized his mentor was standing behind the two other captains. Kuroo smirked. It wouldn't be long now. "You're here too?!"

"Oh. Uh." When did forming words get so hard? "Uh, well, Kuroo just kind of dragged me here so...I don't..."

"Oh. I get it." Hinata's eyes dulled considerably as pursed lips replaced his grin. "If you don't want to it's fine-"

"NO!" Bokuto's eyes widened, and he shook his hands in front of his face to emphasize the point. The mere thought of disappointing the boy in front of him made him shutter, not the mention he was already horrified at how easily he had wiped the smile off Hinata's face. "NO NO NO, YOU'VE GOT IT WRONG! I'M STAYING!" He nodded frantically to punctuate his remark, praying desperately for the dejected look to leave Hinata's face.

Sure enough, the ginger perked up almost immediately. "Really! Awesome!" He bounced over to Bokuto and grabbed his hand. "Don't even worry about feeling bad for coming here so unexpectedly! I made way too much food anyway, so I have more than enough to go around!" He sent a dazzling grin Bokuto's way before pulling him through the sliding front door. "I'm kinda honored that you decided to stop by! Now I can say that the great Koutaro Bokuto of Fukurodani has been to my house!"

Kuroo huffed a laugh. "There it is." He whispered to Ushijima. "The final nail in the coffin."

And the final nail it was. All doubts Bokuto previously had about his fellow captains' promise about showing him something life-changing fell away in an instant. He'd only ever seen the severe and determined side of Hinata whenever he was instructing him on new drills or techniques. This giddy, happy, smiley side...it was something utterly foreign to Bokuto. Looking down at the young boy now as he dragged him throughout the house, giving him a brief tour, he felt the overwhelming urge to protect.

If Hinata asked Bokuto to quit volleyball right there on the spot, Bokuto wasn't positive he would be able to say no.

Kuroo and Ushijima walked through the familiar hallways and into the kitchen, where a familiar, smiling face greeted them.

Kuroo blinked in surprise. "Inuoka?"

The player in question raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Captain." His eyes flitted over to Ushijima before he turned back to his meal. "Shiratorizawa's ace?"

Kuroo nodded. "Yeah." He paused. "Bokuto's here too."

Inuoka snorted. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering who our host is." He took a bite out of the steaming pile of noodles laid before him. He raised an eyebrow. "Is it Bokuto's first time?"

"Yeah." There was a beat of silence between the Nekoma players, and Ushijima took this as an invitation to exit the dining room to get noodles from the kitchen, leaving the two friends alone for the time being.

"Sorry about not being able to make it to training camp," Inuoka said after a moment, continuing to shove noodles down his throat. Kuroo shrugged.

"No worries. I know you don't get to opportunity to see your sister a lot. I think you can skip this one camp for that, don't you?"

Inuoka smiled appreciatively. "Yeah. I'm bummed I have to miss out on the Tokyo Tower plan though." He chuckled, putting down his chopsticks for the first time since Kuroo entered the kitchen. "I'd pay good money to get a picture of his expression when he sees it."

Kuroo laughed lightly. "Yeah. I'll make sure to snap one for you."

"Kuroo. Your turn." The captain in question angeled his head slightly to the left so he could see Ushijima behind him, carrying a plate stacked with food practically a mile high. He nodded and headed off toward the kitchen. Kuroo smiled lightly at the sound of Hinata jumping along upstairs as he spooned perfectly cooked noodles into his bowl. From the slight pitter-patter of feet that could be heard after Hinata's lively steps, Kuroo could deduce that Bokuto was no doubt following him like a lost puppy. He rolled his eyes, though there was no annoyance behind it. Oh, the things Hinata could do to people.

xxx

Dinner was short but enjoyable. Bokuto and Hinata had ventured downstairs about five minutes after Ushijima and Kuroo had started eating, and about three after Inuoka had left. Kuroo nearly spit out his food at the sight of his owlish friend. Instead of falling completely helpless like Ushijima or freezing stock still as he did whenever he was at the receiving end of one of Hinata's bright smiles, Bokuto was desperately trying to do EVERYTHING for said boy. This sight amused his fellow captains to no end.

Bokuto spooned food into Hinata's bowl, brought it over to the table, set it down, went back into the kitchen, grabbed some water, gave it to Hinata, and placed it in his open hand, mumbling something about how it was "Too dangerous for someone as pure as him out in this dark world." Hinata graciously accepted each offer, as usual, utterly oblivious to the effect his smiles and words had on the grey-haired spiker.

When they had all finished, Hinata stood to collect everyone's bowls but was immediately stopped by Bokuto. Grabbing the dishes himself, Fukurodani's captain rushed into the kitchen once again, careful not to drop or jostle anything, leaving behind a very confused and flustered Hinata and an amused Ushijima and Kuroo. They were SO going to tease him about this later.

The trio spent nearly two hours in Hinata's house before said boy kicked them out after getting a noise complaint from the neighbors about Ushijima raging too loud while playing Clue, which had sent Hinata and Kuroo doubling over in laughter. At the same time, Bokuto just put his hands to the orangette's ear and hissed at him not to damage his precious eardrums.

"So?" Kuroo asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend as they traversed down the rocky mountain path. "How was it?"

"I don't understand how something so cheerful and innocent could live in this cruel, cruel world." Bokuto buried his head in his hand and sighed deeply.

Kuroo laughed sharply. "I'm kind of impressed, Bokuto. I heard that when Ushijima was first exposed to Hinata, he couldn't even form proper sentences." Ushijima nodded. He couldn't deny anything. It was true, after all. Bokuto shrugged dejectedly. He had no intention of telling Kuroo how he had forgotten pretty much every word in the dictionary the moment he was in the range of Hinata's smile. The three walked in silence for a bit. Bokuto bit his lip in contemplation.

"I've decided that I'm going to become the Shorty's personal ninja bodyguard."

"Huh?" Ushijima and Kuroo asked, heads turning to took at the man walking in between them.

"You heard me. Anyone who dares wipe that smile off of my pupil's face is going to be at the receiving end of my fist." Bokuto crossed his arms and turned his nose up toward the sky snootily. Fukurodani's captain could be impossibly stubborn when he wanted to be.

"Uh." Ushijima tapped the spiker on the shoulder. "Weren't you the only one to make Hinata frown earlier?" He stared wide-eyed as Bokuto considered this, putting a finger up to his chin before suddenly slapping himself, sharply, across the face. His two friends jumped back in surprise, watching intently with fearful and confused eyes as he continued walking like he didn't have a massive bruise forming on his cheek.

"There. Now my previous statement still stands."

Kuroo whistled lowly before he and Ushijima tentatively fell back in line with Bokuto. Oh yeah. There was no turning back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE YOU GUYS OHMYGOD! All of the kind words are melting my heart. Plus, I added Inuoka in this chapter because someone pointed out how he too had a connection with Hinata on Nekoma. My bad! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Can We Keep Him? (aobajohsai edition)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The much-requested Aobajohsai and Hinata fanfic! 
> 
> Yahaba (quite literally) runs into a lost and confused Hinata on the way to Aobajohsai volleyball practice. After a moment of weakness prompts him to take the ginger to the school with him, everyone falls in love (platonically of course) with him instantly. Well, everyone but one.
> 
> Will Hinata be able to melt a certain spiteful setter's ice-cold heart? (I think you all already know the answer)

The last thing Yahaba expected while dashing wildly through the streets of Japan in an attempt to be on time for nightly weekend volleyball practice was to run into another player. All things considered, it really shouldn't have been that surprising. All of the schools weren't that far from each other, though you couldn't think of them as close, either. That's why it came as such a surprise when as he rounded a particularly sharp corner, he was met not with an empty sidewalk but with the surprised face of Hinata Shouyou.

"Yaha-" That was all the smaller boy could get out before Yahaba, who's eyes widened at the realization of what was about to unfold, sprinted straight into him with an OOF, sending both boys tumbling down the sidewalk in a mess of limbs, cloth, and duffle bags. A rack of bicycles put an end to the boy's decent, Yahaba's back slamming into a tire and Hinata collapsing onto his chest, groaning.

Yahaba blinked for a second, unsure of what to do as his brain processed what the heck had just happened. Oh. Oh no.

"HOLY CRAP!" The Aobajohsai player, ignoring his surely bruised shoulders, crawled on his hands and knees to kneel by the organette's side. "I'M SO SORRY!"

Hinata sat up slowly; one arm curled around his midsection as his free hand rubbed his cheek. "It's okay." He whispered, still quite stunned by the sudden collision. "Sorry."

The setter raised an eyebrow. "For what?" He asked carefully, making sure not to disrupt the boy's surely ringing ears.

"I wasn't paying attention." He mumbled. "My fault. Sorry."

Yahaba sighed and bit his lip. This whole situation would've been so much easier if Hinata had decided to yell at him, curse him out for being so reckless, or even thrown a punch or two. Lord knew he deserved it. But yet here he was, murmuring soft, sincere apologies like it was nobody's business.

"It's not your fault, Hinata." The ginger perked up at that, eyes widening slightly. Yahaba could tell the smaller boy was slowly regaining his senses. He nodded to himself. That was good. It meant he didn't have to deal with the wrath of Karasuno for giving their precious number ten a concussion.

"How do you know my name?"

"Oikawa talks about you a lot," Yahaba replied. "He's been kind of obsessed with finding out whatever 'secret' your hiding even since that training camp a while ago."

Hinata wrinkled his nose. "I don't have any secrets." He pouted. The brown-haired boy smiled lightly as he gently took hold of the arm curled around Hinata's stomach and pried it away so he could get a better look at whatever injury he was covering. Hinata regarded him with a quizzical look. "I'm not hurt if that's what you're wondering."

Yahaba hummed quietly. "I have a hard time believing that. I ran into you pretty hard."

Hinata shrugged, slowly getting to his feet. "It's okay. It'll probably just bruise a little." He offered a half-smile in the setter's direction. "I've had worse."

Yahaba paused before standing up as well so the middle blocker didn't have to stare down at him from his position on the ground. "Are you sure?"

Hinata nodded affirmatively. "Yeah." There was a beat of silence. "Could you help me with something, though?"

"Huh?" Yahaba stared at the ginger. He had just been about to turn around and make his leave, seeing as he was already late for volleyball practice paired with the fact that Hinata had assured him he was fine. "Uh. Sure?"

Hinata shuffled nervously. "Thanks. Well, uh...I'm kinda...lost?" He grimaced, whether it was because of his supposedly harmless injuries or embarrassment for having to admit something like this to an enemy on the court, Yahaba didn't know. "Do you have a cell phone I could use or something?"

"Oh." Yahaba blinked. "Uh, no. Sorry. Mine's at my house." Hinata's face fell in an instant, automatically making the setter's heart squeezing painfully. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, and it certainly wasn't one that he wanted to experience again.

"That's okay." Hinata waved apologetically, spinning on his heel so he could keep walking in the direction he had been going before the Aobajohsai player had tackled him. "Sorry to be a bother." Yahaba audibly winced at that.

Crap. He couldn't resist

"HEY WAIT!" Hinata turned around expectantly at the usually composed setter's outburst. "Someone at my school has one, I'm sure." He jammed his thumb over his shoulder. "It's not that far. If you stay here, I could grab one and-"

Before he could even finish, Hinata's dejected expression fell away in an instant, being replaced by a humongous, sparkling smile and shiny, grateful eyes. "I GET TO GO TO GO TO AOBAJOHSAI!?" He cried incredulously, tapping into his seemingly newfound energy to bounce on his heels. "REALLY!?"

At Hinata's childlike excitement and the pure, unadulterated look disbelief and flat out love painted on his face, Yahaba's resolve crumbled the very second those sparkling eyes looked his way, the words of his previous plan dying in his throat. He decided right then and there that disappointing the animated boy in front of him was absolutely out of the question. Sure, his teammates might be mad, but it was just for a little bit so they could borrow and phone and call whoever Hinata needed to call, right?

Plus...

He didn't think his heart would let him refuse anyway.

"Yeah." Yahaba smiled warmly after a moment, practically exploding at the expression Hinata still had directed at him. "Let's take you to Aobajohsai.

xxx

"Hey, guys?" Yahaba's voice echoed throughout Aobajohsai's gymnasium, sending practice screeching to a halt as everyone turned to look at the second year expectantly. Oikawa raised an eyebrow at the intrusion and jutted his chin his the setter's direction, signaling for him to continue. Yahaba nodded carefully and cleared his throat. "Okay, so...um..."

"Get on with it." Oikawa prompted. He wasn't in the mood for suspense right now. All he wanted to do was play volleyball with his team for the last few months he can before he has to graduate. Was that so hard?

Yahaba flashed his fellow setter a nervous smile. "Uh...so now we have this situation to deal with..." He stepped to the side to reveal none other than a very confused looking Hinata Shouyou, orange hair windswept and eyes looking a bit starstruck. "Uh," Yahaba wrung his hands out anxiously, waiting for any type of response from his team. "Yeah."

"Why." Iwaizumi asked simply, shooting his teammate an unimpressed look. Yahaba groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"It's not my fault! I knocked him over, and he said he was lost, and then he flashed me this smile and just...AgH!" He ran a hand through his hair, shooting helpless looks at the people around him.

"Are you gay?" Kindaichi inquired casually from the otherwise of the court, ignoring Yahaba's murderous expression. "Because it's totally cool if you are. I mean we support everyone as long as-"

"I'm not gay, asshole." He grumbled, turning to Hinata. "Could you do me a favor?"

Hinata nodded hesitantly, a bit uncomfortable with his current situation and being surround by people who clearly didn't want him there. "Uh, sure."

"Smile at them."

Hinata blinked. "What?"

"Just do it." Yahaba paused. "Please."

Hinata sent a doubtful look Yahaba's way before complying, throwing a nervous smile toward Aobajohsai. However, it was a different kind of smile than the one he usually wore. Hinata's smiles were typically vibrant and bright, basically the epitome of cheeriness itself. This one, however, was soft and uneasy as the smaller players peeked out from under his unruly curls with wide eyes.

The silence that filled the gym afterward was deafening.

"I think I would die for him," Matsukawa whispered after a moment, nodding slowly as if to verify his statement. Hanamaki, who was the only one close enough to hear his friend's whisper, laughed silently at this declaration.

"That's weird."

Matsukawa raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is it, though?"

There was a beat of silence as Hanamaki looked back at the usually energetic middle blocker, who at the moment was looking like the perfect picture of innocence. "No. I guess not."

"That's gay."

Hanamaki turned his head sharply to glare at Matsukawa. "You're the one who suggested it! Besides." He sighed, gesturing to the ginger. "It's not gay for wanting to protect that." True to Hanamaki's point, Hinata's small smile still hadn't wavered and his glassy eyes were still staring up at the team as if waiting for recognition or acceptance of some kind. His orange hair was fluffier than usual, no doubt from having to walk all the way to a foreign school, and that freckles that were sprinkled all over his dusty pink cheeks were visible for once and not just a blur because of his usual jumping around. Plus, the soft sunset spilling in through the windows made Hinata look downright angelic, somehow hitting him just right, causing his already soft smile looked even gentler.

Purity and naivety rolled off the small boy in waves, sending the overwhelming urge to shelter and care for the Karasuno member coursing through almost everyone's veins, whether they wanted to admit it or not. It was sickening, really, the sweetness they felt for him at that moment, but none them could help it, nor did they want to.

"See!" Yahaba cried, signaling wildly at Hinata. "It's like a freaky superpower!" He then turned to the boy in question and flashed him a warm smile, one utterly foreign to the second year. "You did great, Hinata." He ruffled his hair in praise.

Hinata perked up at this. Lifting his gaze from the gym to the upperclassman standing next to him, he offered him a real grin, the one that Tanaka swore on everything was made of sunshine and rainbows. The setter stiffened momentarily, a pained look crossing his face as he desperately fought to urge to hug the boy peering up at him for all of eternity. He almost gave in, he'll admit, but at the last second, settled for a pinch of Hinata's speckled cheek as he removed his hand from the fluffy, yet tangily, curls. He smirked internally. Never let it be said that Shigeru Yahaba didn't have any self-control.

He sent a triumphant smirk Kindaichi's way and quickly flashed him the bird, which was met only by a weak murmur and half-hearted head nod from the onion haired player. "So anyway, Hinata needs to use someone's phone to call someone to pick him up." He shrugged. Any volunteers?

Hinata's smile dropped as he averted his gaze from Yahaba to wince apologetically at the team in front of him, taking their silence for refusal (though that was not that case. They were simply trying to recover from what the heck they had just witnessed.)

"Yeah. I kinda got lost, and I have a horrible sense of direction." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Yahaba ran into me and offered to take me back here to use one of your phones to call someone to get me."

"Do you have somewhere to be?" Iwaizumi asked, his voice kind in a way that not even Oikawa had heard before.

"No," The spiker answered, stuttering a little. "Not really." A thoughtful, yet not uncomfortable, silence spread throughout the gym at that. All activity and noise had stopped entirely at this point, and to Hinata, it seemed that the blue and white team he admired so much was having a silent conversation that he was entirely out of the loop of. It made him squirm if he was honest. He never was fond of silence. It always felt infinitely louder than anything else, and it made his insides hurt.

"Oikawa." All eyes turned to Mad Dog, who's gaze was rapidly switching from his captain to the small ginger by Yahaba. "If he's in no hurry..." He paused, considering his next words carefully. "There's no reason a fellow volleyball player couldn't stay and practice with us, right?" A collective sigh of relief came from everyone else in the gym, silently thanking their temperamental teammate for asking what they were all thinking.

Oikawa huffed and crossed his arms. He hadn't been nearly as affected by Hinata's charm as his teammates had and had pushed down the fluttery feeling in his gut purely out of spite for the smaller middle blocker. Yet, even he couldn't find it in his heart to let Hinata walk the streets alone as he waited for whoever he called to pick him up. Nope, that simply would not do.

"Yes, I suppose it's fine." He grumbled, turning his back to the duo at the door. Hinata positively lit up at this, his nervous face spitting into a heart-shattering beam, sending a few strangled cries, including one from Yahaba, echoing throughout the gym.

"Really!" Hinata cried, the twinkle in his honey eyes unmistakable. "Are you sure?!" The smile didn't leave his lips as he spoke excitedly. "I mean, that's very generous of you to offer, but I don't want to intrude!"

"It's fine Hinata, honestly," Yahaba replied quietly, barely able to speak with his heart practically in this throat. "We're happy to have you." He shut his eyes quickly before Hinata's smile could get any brighter. He didn't think he could handle it.

Iwaizumi, never one to let his emotions show on his sleeve even though his insides felt like utter mush, sensed what was about to happen and quickly strolled over to the smaller volleyball player. He didn't need any of his teammates going blind today, thank you very much. He smoothly looped one of his arms around Hinata's shoulder to guide him away from the door and onto the actual volleyball court.

Expertly ignoring the hurt looks thrown his way by Oikawa, who was slightly peeved at the way his childhood friend, who rarely showed any affection for him, was being so gentle with the smaller boy, Iwaizumi twirled his finger in the air in a starting motion to signal everyone to carry on as usual. After all, this was volleyball practice, and they were going to treat it as such whether the literal sun had invaded their gym or not.

xxx

It quickly became abundantly (and annoyingly) apparent to Oikawa that practically everyone in the gym had fallen head over heels for Hinata. Well, in a platonic way, that is. Even his lifelong friend, the one who usually wore a scowl or glare, was smiling proudly as he watched the ginger attempt to try his signature technique at spiking. After failing hilariously, the smaller boy simply laughed and promptly showered the ace with compliments about how cool he was to be able to pull it off and how lucky he was to play for such a good, which, every time without fail, would make the usually moody spiker blush profusely.

Oikawa sighed and rubbed his face in his hands. At this point, he was almost positive that Iwaizumi kept insisting Hinata keep trying his ridiculously complicated spiking tricking so that he could feel validated by his truthful words and adoring eyes. If he was being honest with himself, it seemed that every player on Aobajohsai, besides him of course, was wanting to get with Hinata for something or other. The only reason the orangette hadn't been scooped up by another one of his teammates was because of the glares Iwaizumi would give anyone who came too close. It was quite hilarious, frankly.

"So that's what's so special about you, hm?" Oikawa mused to himself, putting a finger to his lips in thought. "Now I see why Daichi wanted to keep you away from everyone at training camp." He observed the scene before him. "You never would've been able to get anything done." His eye twitched. HE was supposed to be the charming one; HE was the one that people were supposed to like and respect. Not an annoying bundle of energy and happiness. Oikawa's hand flexed. It was annoying, bordering on infuriating. Hinata's sunshine smiles wouldn't be enough to get the spiteful setter to like him, that was clear as day.

"Hey! Grand king!" A chirpy voice snapped Oikawa out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" His calm brown eyes met delighted honey ones that were framed by fluffy clumps of hair. The corner of the captain's mouth twitched. The little twerp was probably here to prove something to him, brag about how he had melted even Mad Dogs ice-cold heart, about how much better he was at his signature charm. Oikawa fought back a sneer. That brat thought he was so great. He was probably going to challenge him or something, and-

"Can you toss to me?"

Oikawa's mind blanked. Oh. He hadn't been expecting that. Still, Oikawa's mind began running a mile a minute. He was probably only asking so he could criticize him or taunt him about how much of a better setter Kageyama was than him or-

"I hope it's not too much to ask. You're just so amazing, and your tosses look so perfect! Plus, you're an even better setter than Kageyama, and his tosses are already really really good, so I can only assume that yours must be legendary! I would be honored if you would send me just one." Hinata bit his lip. "Please?"

Oikawa's mind wholly short-circuited. This wasn't how people like Hinata were supposed to act, not at all. Charmers such as the smaller middle blocker were usually snooty, self-absorbed, and annoying in ways that only Oikawa could recognize as someone with a considerable amount of charm himself, even if it was just with the ladies. They would demand things of others without a second thought, taking advantage of their gift and get angry if someone wasn't affected by it. They were horrible people and the fact that no one but Oikawa could see it made him want to scream. Yet, one of these people was standing right in front of him with a heart practically made out of gold. Why was that? What had caused this particular charmer so kind and pure while all of the others were selfish and greedy?

Oikawa's stiffened in realization. Hinata didn't even know he was doing it. That little shrimp had no idea the type of power he had over people, the things they would do for him if only he offered a smile or a kind word in return. Maybe it was for the better. Who knows what the ginger could get away with if he were aware of how easily he could melt people's hearts.

"Please?" Hinata repeated, voice softer now, pulling Oikawa abruptly away from his thoughts. He turned his head to see Iwaizumi glaring at him across the room, waiting for an answer from his childhood friend. Oikawa ignored him with practiced ease and turned toward the source of the small voice. And just like that, one look into the ginger's adoring eyes that were practically begging for an answer, made him putty in Hinata's hands.

His gaze was so warm, so full of hope and pure, childlike happiness and innocence. At that very moment, the second their eyes locked, Oikawa was certain there wasn't an evil bone in his body. The irrational hatred he had only moments before for the boy in front of him disappeared in an instant. Oikawa wasn't quite sure what to call the feeling that took its place. It was warm and fuzzy. It was like something in his chest was bubbling, threatening to explode at any minute.

It was addicting.

And so, the trap otherwise known as Hinata's friendship was sprung.

And Oikawa fell right into it.

Hard.

"YES!" He yelled suddenly, everyone around him flinching in surprise at his outburst. He paused and cleared his throat, painfully aware of how desperate he sounded. "I'll toss to you." He continued, voice a bit more composed this time. Hinata's jaw dropped at this answer before crying out in joy.

"REALLY!?" He didn't give Oikawa time to answer. "THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! IT'S AN HONOR!"

Oikawa smiled at the overjoyed reaction. It wasn't just one of his fake smiles, either. It was a real, compassionate smile, that one that he seldom wore and one that virtually no one ever saw. The only person in the gym who had up until this moment had been Iwaizumi, and even he had only observed it once or twice in this life.

"The honor's all mine, Shorty." He replied, waving a hand in the energetic ginger's direction. "Just give me a second, I need to put on my knee brace." Hinata nodded enthusiastically and bounded over to the volleyball carts, where he was met with numerous hair ruffles from Mad Dog and Kunimi, both of who rarely showed affection to anyone. Oikawa sighed and sauntered over to the sidelines. That number ten really was something.

"Hey. Shittykawa." Oikawa pouted from his position on the bench and lifted his gaze from his leg to his childhood friend standing above him.

"Must you keep calling me that?"

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and knelt to help situate Oikawa's knee. "What's with you?"

"Whatever do you mean, Iwa?"

Iwaizumi glared momentarily before holding out a hand, signaling for Oikawa to give him his knee brace. Oikawa complied, ruffling around in his duffle for a second before pulling out the familiar white cloth and handing it to him.

"You know what I mean, dumbass. I know you." He took the knee brace and pulled it up Oikawa's leg, careful not to jostle it. Oikawa just watched. This was normal for them. "And if there's one thing I know about you, it's the face you make whenever you don't like something."

"Yeah. It's the face I make whenever I look at you."

"Shut up, Crappykawa. I'm asking a question."

"So mean!"

Iwaizumi huffed in annoyance. "All I know is that you were making that same face at Hinata when he walked through those doors." He raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What changed."

Oikawa shrugged. "I realized he wasn't a selfish guy." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Not like the other charmers I've run into."

"Other whaters?"

Oikawa waved him off. "Nothing, nothing." Things were silent between the two of them for a moment.

"If you hurt him in any way, I will kick your ass to the moon."

Oikawa looked at his best friend with a bored expression. "Always with the threats, Iwa. I've told you before. Violence doesn't look good on you."

"I'm serious, Trashykawa." He said. "I will end you if you do anything to scar him physically, mentally, or emotionally."

Oikawa threw his hands up in surrender. "Relax, Iwa. If I do anything to the ginger, I permit you to end me myself."

Iwaizumi nodded affirmatively. "Good." Oikawa rolled his eyes and rose from the bench to stroll over to where Hinata was waiting, armed with a smile that could rival the sun and apprehensive eyes.

xxx

"Are you POSITIVE we can't keep him?" Mad Dog whispered to Iwaizumi as the two watched Hinata hit what was maybe his 35th spike. Iwaizumi jutted his head towards the headstrong hitter beside him in response.

"Karasuno would kill us." He said bluntly.

"And?"

"That's it." Iwaizumi shrugged. "I have literally zero reasons other than that as to why we can't keep him."

"I dunno." Watari joined his two teammates on the sidelines. "I saw we just risk it and face Karasuno's wrath when the time comes."

"That's kidnapping." Hanamaki interrupted, squeezing in the space between Iwaizumi and Mad Dog. "It's illegal."

"Are you saying you're against it?" Aobajohsai's libero raised an eyebrow.

Hanamaki snorted. "No, I'm all for it. I'm just stating a fact."

"Hm." Mad Dog cracked his knuckles. "Do you think he'd mind?"

"Who?"

"Hinata." The four players watched intently as the orangette took another flying leap, hand connecting effortlessly with another perfectly set volleyball.

Watari hummed in response. "I'm not sure. I mean, he obviously loves Karasuno a lot, but at the same time, he was practically starstruck when he entered the gym." He gestured around them.

Iwaizumi squinted. "Hey, Hinata!" Oikawa and the boy he had called initially called out for turned their heads in unison to stare at him. Iwaizumi shuddered. Creepy. "How would you like to stop by practice at Aobjohsai like you did today every once in a while?"

Hinata's entire face lit up like a Christmas tree as he rushed over to the ace of Seijoh, leaving behind a very offended looking setter. "Really!" He skidded to a stop right in front of the four boys. "Seriously?!"

Iwaizumi nodded, biting back a smile. "Of course. I think everyone here would agree with me when I say that you're welcome here any time." He looked at his teammates expectantly, who all delivered enthusiastic nods Hinata's way.

The ginger squeaked in response, opening his mouth to no doubt thank the team endlessly but was stopped when Oikawa appeared at his side and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Shrimpy!" He chirped, guiding him back to the volleyball net while casting several glares over his shoulder at Iwaizumi for interrupting their toss and spike routine. "Let's keep playing. I want to give you some more sets to hit."

Hinata beamed up at the taller player at this, ripping his shoulder away from Oikawa's hand unintentionally as he ran to get into position.

xxx

Practice was over all too soon for Aobajohsai. When the clock struck eleven, which was already two hours after it had been scheduled to be over, Hinata had announced, for the first time in his life, that he was too tired to hit another ball. Still, he outlasted everyone else by a significant margin. The Seijoh volleyball players were scattered about the sidelines of the court, watching Hinata zip around and spike the balls given to him by Yahaba, who had subbed in for Oikawa after the latter's knee nearly gave out from having to stand in the same position for so long. Though they could've gone home if they wanted to, everyone had stayed. If Karasuno found out about this little practice and Iwaizumi's offer for more, there was a good chance that they might never get the opportunity to see Hinata again outside of matches, regardless of whether he had an invitation to come or not.

A little, friendly, hyperactive ball of sunshine and energy had graced them today, and they were going to cherish the moment for as long as they could.

At Hinata's declaration, Iwaizumi and Oikawa had quickly jumped at the chance to take Hinata home, much to the chagrin of their teammates. However, Iwaizumi had brought his car for once instead of walking to practice, so it was the most logical explanation and the safest way for the orangette to get home. When Oikawa explained this, everyone had begrudgingly agreed, disappointed that this could potentially be the last time they see the smaller boy but not wanting to risk Hinata's safety in the slightest.

After a quick exchange of everyone's phone numbers and enthusiastic goodbyes, the players watched dejectedly as the trio sped off down the barren street. After a moment, they all walked back toward to gym with heavy eyes and equally as heavy hearts.

Yahaba gathered his belonging with aching fingers. Yet, he felt strangely accomplished. It felt good knowing that he was the one who had brought Hinata to the Aobajohsai gym, that he was the reason his teammates met the smaller player that they had grown to adore so much in under five hours.

"Thanks, Yahaba."

Yahaba turned around and came face to face with Kindaichi, who had his hands stuffed in his volleyball jacket and duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

"For what?"

"Y'know." He gestured off into the distance, pointing vaguely at the direction Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and Hinata had driven off in. "That."

Yahaba smiled. "That's gay."

"It is NOT!"

"Is too."

"EXCUSE? ME? HE'S LITERALLY A KITTEN. A. KIT. TEN."

Yahaba ceased his teasing a merely stared off into the distance. "Yeah." There was a beat of silence. "Do you think we'll get to see him again next practice like Iawizumi suggested?"

Kindaichi snorted. "I'm sure we will as long as DADchi doesn't find out." Yahaba snickered at that. "Besides," He continued. "We're his friends, aren't we?"

Yahaba nodded affirmatively. He had never been so sure of anything in his life. "Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE YOU SO MUCH


	6. Weaponizing Smiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS TOOK LONGER THAN USUAL! This isn't as long as normal chapters, but it was such a cute request that I couldn't resist!
> 
> Kuroo, in what he swears is a stroke of brilliance, comes up with a surefire way to win Nekoma's next match. How, you ask? With Hinata of course!
> 
> Highly requested Date Tech chapter next!

"Sleepover, take two!" Kuroo whooped, throwing his hands in the air, his remark punctuated by Hinata's maniacal screaming and Kenma's mumbling about how unfair it was that it had to be held at his house, though secretly happy about the prospect of getting to spend the evening with his two favorite people. Not that he'd admit that to anyone, especially not Kuroo, who's ego was already increased tenfold whenever Kenma so much as put down his game to acknowledge his existence, which admittedly, wasn't often.

"Thanks for inviting us, Kenma!" Hinata was bouncing from foot to foot, animated as always. This type of behavior from anyone else would make Kenma want to gouge his eyes out, but it was Shouyou, so it was fine.

"I invited you," He muttered. His gaze shifted over to his childhood friend. "Not him." Kuroo just smirked, having grown immune to Kenma's insensitive comments over the years and years of dealing with them.

"Keep that up, and I might think you don't like me."

Kenma suppressed a smile. "Look at you; you're finally catching on." Kuroo snickered. Usually, Kenma never let this side of himself see the light of day. While he was typically perceived as a calm, cool, collected, and overall emotionless guy, behind that exterior there was actually an abundance of witty remarks and quips, which he never hesitated to use on his childhood friend. Not that Kuroo minded, of course. He would take any kind of attention he could get from Kenma, whether it be to 'degrade' him or not.

"What are we gonna do first?" Hinata asked brightly, eyes flitting rapidly between his two upperclassmen. Kuroo shrugged.

"Dunno, but we gotta go to bed kinda early tonight."

Hinata cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Why?"

"We have a match against Nohebi tomorrow," Kenma replied, sounding more bored than usual. "Coach has been badgering us for weeks about it."

"Yeah." Kuroo rested a casual hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Coach threatened to bench anyone not in peak condition for this match, no matter how good they are."

Hinata hummed in acknowledgment, smiling cheerily up at Kuroo. "I'm sure you'll do great!" He paused for a moment and put his finger to his lips, a contemplative look crossing his soft features. "But why'd you invite me over for a sleepover if you've got to get up so early."

Kenma opened his mouth to reply, but Kuroo beat him to it. "Because you're coming with us!" He cried, grinning like a maniac.

"I AM?!"

"He is?" Kenma paused his game to peer up at his friend suspiciously. "Since when?"

"Since now!" He cried, still as lively as ever. Kuroo turned his attention back to the sparkling ginger, who was practically vibrating under his hand at the prospect of getting to see his two friends play in a real match and not just a practice one. "I've already scored the shorty a ticket and everything!"

"REALLY!" Hinata spun around on his heel to hug Kuroo's midsection, which was about as far as he could reach. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! THIS IS AWESOME!" He beamed, the sight of which would've reduced Kuroo to putty if he hadn't already seen it so many times. Not to say it didn't still affect him, of course. He had just learned to not outwardly express the pure bliss that washed over him every time the smaller player smiled at him, which was no small feat.

Hinata unlatched himself from Kuroo's waist and sprinted over to Kenma, wrapping the pudding haired boy in a bear hug of epic proportion, muttering his thanks over and over again. Kenma, never one to disappoint the Karasuno player that he'd become so fond of, returned the hug tentatively and glared, though it held no malice, over his shoulder at Kuroo. Kuroo merely shrugged, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

After freeing himself from Hinata's embrace and telling the younger boy to set up the Wii for them, which the orangette eagerly complied with, Kenma grabbed his childhood friend's elbow and dragged him towards the corner of the room.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

Kuroo shrugged, trying his best to feign innocence. "Whatever do you mean, my dear Kenma?"

Kenma rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You know perfectly well what I mean." He gestured with his free hand over towards the direction of the living room that Hinata had disappeared into.

Kuroo gasped dramatically. "Why, I thought that you'd be excited to spend more time with your precious Shouyou?"

Kenma let go of Kuroo's elbow and crossed his arms. "Cut the crap. What're you doing." He meant it as a command, not a question.

"Can't a guy just invite his friend to a match every once in a while?"

"If that were the case, you would've informed me about it earlier," Kenma huffed, clearly annoyed about how long this exchange was dragging out. "I know you. You're up to something."

Kuroo put a hand up to his mouth in mock offense. "I would NEVER-"

"Kuroo," Kenma said warningly, his face contorting into a scowl in a display of emotion rare for this particular setter.

"Fine." Kuroo relented, throwing his hands above his head in a gesture of peace. "I thought we could use him."

Kenma's angry expression quickly melted away into one of confusion. "Use him? What do you mean?"

Kuroo thought for a moment. "Think of it as...weaponizing Hinata."

Kenma sent his friend an utterly unimpressed look, clearly not following. Kuroo tried again.

"Okay, so you know how Hinata's smiles can basically melt anyone who's looking at him within a ten-foot radius, right?"

Kenma nodded. He knew all too well, having been on the receiving end of those smiles way too many times. "Yeah?"

Kuroo snapped his fingers. "There's that space behind the volleyball court where spectators can stand and watch, right?" He didn't wait for Kenma's answer. "Hinata can stand back there during our match and aim his stupidly bright grins right in Nohebi's faces!"

"What about our team?"

"As long as none of them look behind them, they should be fine!"

Kenma raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "That's cheating," He said matter-of-factly.

Kuroo scoffed. "It is NOT! It's a foolproof plan!"

Kenma sighed and rubbed his temples. "It's literally the equivalent of blinding Nohebi with a bright light."

Kuroo grinned. "EXACTLY! But instead of a bright light, it's a person!" Kenma waved him off with a groan and a half-hearted nod. He'd known Kuroo long enough to know when he got riled up enough about something, there was no changing his mind. Besides, even he had to admit his plan wasn't half bad.

"Fine." Kenma glanced pointedly at Kuroo. "But I'm asking him."

"Asking who?"

"Shouyou. If he's okay with it. If he doesn't agree to it, then we're not going to take advantage of him."

Kuroo rolled his eyes. "You're such a big softy. As if I'd ever take advantage of the literal embodiment of sunshine." Kenma ignored his friend to walked into the living room. True to his word, the Wii was all set up, and the Mario Kart loading symbol was already twirling on the screen.

"Hey, Kenma!" Hinata bounced up to his friend. "You ready to get your ass beat?" Kenma just smirked. Popular to contrary belief, Hinata wasn't all sunshine smiles and sparkly eyes. He cursed, no doubt a side effect from being around Kageyama 24/7, though the vulgar words only surfaced when he and Kenma were competing in a particularly competitive Mario Kart match or when he was ranting about how hard Kenma was 'hacking.' To his day, the pudding haired setter was pretty sure he was the only one, besides Kageyama, out of the whole volleyball community that had ever heard the sweet, pure, innocent boy they all were so protective of swear.

He didn't mind much, though, nor was he shocked. After all, despite his own soft exterior, he could sprout some pretty nasty insults if necessary, though it hardly ever was.

Lev had been on the receiving end of said insults more than either of them would like to admit.

Kuroo snorted, sauntering into the room behind his friend. "As if. Kenma's a literal hacker." Ignoring said boy's cries of protest, Kuroo turned his attention solely on Hinata. "Hey, Shortypants, I have a favor I'd like to ask you." Hinata hummed and nodded in response, giving him the okay to continue. "While you're at our match tomorrow, would you mind watching us from the sidelines behind our court instead of from the stands?"

"I'd love to!" Hinata responded cheerily, keeping his joyous eyes trained on the taller man in front of him as he flopped down on the couch. "That way I'd be able to see the game better!" Kenma slid into the cushion next to Hinata, who, in turn, expertly curled into the pudding haired setter's side. Kuroo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Ever since Kenma had received that hug from Hinata at training camp, he had started to slowly become more and more comfortable with affection from the energetic, touchy middle blocker. Kuroo, who had made it a habit to stop my Kenma's house every day, now had a full photo album dedicated to moments when he had caught the two short volleyball players sleepy cuddling.

It was natural at this point, and Kenma had gotten so used to Hinata's nature over the time that he'd known him that he didn't even bat an eye anymore at surprise hugs or unexpected body warmth from the smaller boy. It was just instinct for the ginger, and he was totally fine with that. Still, though, Hinata was the only one who possessed the privilege to be this touchy with the setter, something that the Kuroo both admired and envied him for.

Kuroo resisted the urge to make a 'That's gay' comment and continued with his proposition. "So anyway, while you're over there..." He bit back a grin, aware of how weird his next request was going to seem. "Do you think you could smile at the other team every once in a while? You know, more than usual?"

Sure enough, Hinata turned his head to raise an eyebrow. "Why?" He asked, genuinely curious. Kuroo just waved him off, shooting him a smirk and a breathy chuckle.

"Never mind that. Would you please?"

Hinata didn't even miss a beat, eager to help two of his most self-reliant friends with whatever he could. "Sure!" He exclaimed, earning himself a hair ruffle from Kenma and a relieved sigh from Kuroo.

"Good." Kuroo nodded and grabbed a nearby controller. "Be prepared to be OBLITERATED, Kenma!"

xxx

Kenma won every.

Single.

Game.

Which of course, didn't go over well with his two friends, both of which were now seated across the table, refusing to talk to him and grumbling to each other in frustration as they rapidly ate their fill of fried rice and egg rolls, courtesy of Hinata and his admittedly fantastic cooking skills.

"We should probably head up to bed soon." Kenma suggested after a few minutes, not at all bothered by the attempt at ignoring him. After all, as much as he enjoyed their company, he would always prefer the quiet as opposed to heated raging and maniacal screaming over a simple video game. Kenma glanced at the clock, confirming his suspicions. The trio had been playing the Wii for a little over five hours, though to them, it felt more like thirty minutes. It was now 11:25 pm, approximately eight hours before the start of the Nekoma Player's match at eight the next morning.

"Yeah," Kuroo sighed, giving up on his poor attempt at the silent treatment. "It's probably for the best if we don't want to get our asses beat."

Hinata pouted but didn't say anything. He still had bundles of energy left, as always, but he knew to make his friends stay up for another four hours doing who knows what until he tired out was selfish, and that went against the very essence of the small ginger boy.

The three volleyball players quickly cleaned up their dishes and headed off to the living room, which they had decided would be the designated sleeping spot at Kenma's house since it possessed numerous comfy couches and pillows. Hinata quickly went upstairs to shower while the other two changed and got out a basket of blankets for them to share. Kuroo settled down on the couch closest to the tv and promptly put in a DVD of Nohebi's latest match. After a few minutes of coaxing and convincing, a reluctant Kenma joined his friend on the couch, hair tied back in a low ponytail and cheeks bright red from scrubbing them with facewash.

The two Nekoma players sat in silence as they watched their opponents, throwing in a few words of criticism and comments along the way. It wasn't long before Hinata bounded down the stairs, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, with his usually fluffy hair sticking out everywhere from having been hastily dried with a towel. He bounced over to the two and squeezed between them, throwing his legs over Kuroo's. Kuroo just snorted in acknowledgment, not even batting an eye.

Kenma rolled his eyes as Hinata's still slightly damp hair fell onto his lap as the ginger successfully laid himself comfortably over the two Nekoma players. Seeing this, the younger boy grinned brightly up at his upperclassman, earning himself a huff from the setter as a soothing hand began to run through his curls. Messing with Shouyou's hair had become a habit of Kenma's, and he would often unconsciously find himself playing with orange locks or curling them between his fingers. It was soothing, really, and it calmed him enough so that his anxiety-ridden self wasn't so jumpy or suspicious of everyone around him.

"So, that's the team you're playing tomorrow?" Hinata asked lazily, crossing his ankles so he didn't put so much pressure on Kuroo's lap. Kuroo hummed in response, keeping his eyes trained on the game. "They're pretty good."

"Yeah," Kenma whispered, not wanting to disrupt the unusually quiet atmosphere that surrounded the three friends.

"We're gonna beat them though," Kuroo declared softly, reaching for the remote on the coffee table. "They're not anything special. All they have is a bunch of well-rounded players, no particularly special skills."

"Like my quick?"

"Mmhm." Kuroo turned down the volume on the tv, letting a comfortable silence, one that was occasionally punctuated by the cheering of the crowd, envelop them. Kuroo's eyes never left the game as he carefully examined every one of the players, looking for weaknesses or habits that his team could exploit. Kenma, eyes glazed over and wholly lost in his thoughts about who knows what, ran a hand leisurely through Hinata's hair, carefully working out knots and smoothing it out. Hinata simply enjoyed the feeling. While he usually couldn't stand silence, this was a rare exception. It wasn't awkward, nor was it forced or weird. It was natural, just three friends relaxing together and enjoying each other's company in ways they usually couldn't on the volleyball court.

He could stay like this forever if he could.

xxx

Long story short, Kuroo's plan had worked. All too well, it seemed. The three volleyball players had arrived at the gym together, Kuroo and Kenma in their uniforms and Hinata still in the same pair of clothing he had slept in the night before. The rest of Nekoma regarded the trio with confused looks, but they paid them no mind. Hinata wandered over to behind the court on the sidelines while Kenma walked over to Lev and Inouka, the only other two Nekoma members who knew about Hinata's freaky smiles, and pulled them aside to tell them Kuroo's plan. Both had exchanged looks and agreed that it indeed was a stroke of brilliance before walking over to where Hinata was positioned to ruffle his hair and thank him. Hinata, confused as always, just smiled and nodded.

Nohebi's inevitable defeat became apparent after Nekoma's first point, which had resulted in the ginger's face erupting into an excited, heart-melting smile, causing all players of the opposing team to physically freeze, which had gotten Nekoma nearly five service aces in a row. Kuroo smirked. This was too easy.

The Nohebi players eventually recovered, but they didn't do much better. Every time Hinata's eyes so much as sparkled, the poor players would almost automatically forget what they had to be doing or mess up whatever action they were trying to execute.

The real trouble came when Nekoma won the first set, which caused Hinata's face to light up like a Christmas tree and laugh cheerily, pumping his fists into the air in celebration. A few members of the Nohebi team audibly choked, their hearts not able to handle the picture of pure innocence and delight before them. Their coach, however, not having seen this display since he was on the sidelines facing the game, berated them harshly for doing so poorly. The team just hung their heads and stumbled back onto the court, barely able to keep themselves upright.

The second set wasn't any better, and Nekoma won it without having to do practically anything. Hinata was already pumped from his friends having won the first set, and that made his smiles all the more bright and lively. The brain of every player on the Nohebi team was no doubt turned to mush from having to look at the megawatt smiles from the cheerful middle blocker the entire game, and honestly? They weren't even that mad that they lost. They doubted that anyone could focus long enough to get a good match in with the orangette grinning right in their face.

"We crushed them," Kuroo whispered to Kenma as the two watched Lev and Inouka cheer enthusiastically at Hinata's performance as they ran up to the ginger to scoop him into a hug.

"Yeah," Kenma muttered, turning to his childhood friend. "An idiotic idea you had actually worked." He crossed his arms. "That's a first."

Kuroo snorted, knowing full well that Kenma was as happy as he was on the inside, whether he decided to show it or not. "My 'idiotic' ideas always work!" He insisted, reaching into his duffle bag for a moment to pull out his phone. "I have GOT to text Bokuto about this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE YALL!


	7. Weaponizing Smiles (bonus scene)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This little bonus scene was requested and I just couldn't say no! Don't worry though, Date Tech is the next official chapter! I love all of you and thank you for the concerns about my health and my limits when it comes to writing. I really appreciate it.

"What the hell happened out there?!" Nohebi's couch glared at the players lined up before him, all of which looked completely and utterly stunned. "Well?!" He crossed his arms and sat back on the bench. "Are you gonna answer me or not?!"

"Coach..." Daishou's words were slightly slurred, a detail that didn't go unnoticed by the temperamental coach. He raised an eyebrow and scanned his captain up and down.

"Are you all doing drugs?" He asked finally, shooting them an unimpressed look.

"No, no, no, sir!" Daishou waved his hands in front of his face. "Of course not! We would never!" He bit his lip. Oh boy, this one was gonna be hard to explain.

"Well?!" Coach threw his arms up in exasperation. "I'm waiting!"

Kuguri raised a tentative hand. "Well, uh, you see coach..." He mentally said his prayers and glanced back at his teammates for reassurance, which they didn't provide in the slightest. They knew how their coach was, and they knew him well enough to know that he was going to be completely and utterly pissed. "So, there was this kid, right?"

"Yeah? There were lots of kids watching this game."

"No, no, not like a kid kid. Well I mean he was a kid, but he was friends with high schoolers, so maybe he was one, but he could also be a younger brother b-"

Coach flicked Kuguri on the forehead, causing the latter to clamp his mouth shut instantly. "You're blabbering, kid. Spit it out."

Kuguri offered a nervous smile. "Right. Well. Uh. Well, he smiled a lot at us during the game, right?"

"Okay? How does this relate to an-"

"It was like looking into the sun," Daishou interjected, waving a hand at his teammate as Kuguri shot him a grateful look. "Honestly. It was all bright and cheery and warm and happy and carefree and sincere and excited and just...sunny." All members present nodded in agreement. After all, they couldn't find a single flaw in one thing their captain had just said. Their coach, however, was not impressed.

"I'm serious, coach!"

"..."

"How do you expect us to function, nonetheless play a volleyball match, after seeing the sun smile!?"

Coach just stared. "Is that a genuine question?" He asked finally.

"YES!"

Nohebi's coach just stared incredulously at his team. He sucked in a breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. "NOW I KNOW DAMN WELL-"

The last thing Nekoma saw before exiting the gym was one furious coach screaming bloody murder at his eight cowering players.

"What's his deal?" Hinata muttered as a particularly colorful string of curses reached his ears before being promptly silenced by Lev's calloused hands covering them.

"I guess we'll never know." He sighed, shaking his head dramatically and shooting a sneer Kuroo's way. Kuroo just smirked in response.

"I guess we'll never know."


	8. Can We Keep Him? (sad date tech edition)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The much-requested Date Tech chapter! I decided to put a spin on this one, hope you don't mind!
> 
> Hinata's acting off, and Aone is seemingly the only one who notices. His teammates are demanding to know why their best blocker ditched them for a Karasuno player, and they get tangled up in much more than they bargained for. However, they decide it's worth it if they can get Hinata to smile one last time.
> 
> (please read notes)

"Something's wrong with Hinata," Aone muttered to himself as he wanted Karasuno exit the court below.

"Who?" Koganegawa took a bite of his protein bar, eyes trained on the match before him as he waited for his upperclassmen's response. He knew the comment hadn't been directed at anyone in particular, but he just couldn't find it in himself to care. Plus, who was Hinata?

"Hinata's Karasuno's number ten," Obara answered helpfully after a moment, reading the situation well enough to know that Aone wasn't going to respond to the setter's comment anytime soon.

"Oh." Koganegawa chewed his granola thoughtfully. "Isn't he the one with the freak quicks?"

"Yeah." Obara nodded. "That's him. Hinata Shouyou, middle blocker and first year at Karasuno High."

"Stalker."

"Shut up."

"Something's wrong with him," Aone repeated, not even acknowledging his teammates as they turned their heads to him in question. " He seems off."

Koganegawa shrugged and bit off another chunk of his bar. "I don't know, man. I mean, he seemed normal to me during the match."

Obara hummed in agreement. "Yeah. I mean, his reflexes were as good as always, and he sure was fast on his feet." He saw Aone nod in approval at his statement, causing a small smile to tug on Obara's lips. It was comical, really, when Aone interacted with the sunny ball of energy known as Hinata Shouyou. They were total opposites, but somehow they just clicked together like two puzzle pieces destined to fit. Of course, Obara had never personally indulged in conversation with the lightning-fast player, but the softness in Aone's eyes and gentle smiles that graced his lips whenever he observed his white-haired friend talking with the lively boy had already led Obara to believe that Hinata indeed was something special.

He could hardly wait for the day he got to formally meet the boy who had singlehandedly succeeded in making Aone laugh, a feat that, to this day, no one on Date Tech had been able to replicate after hours of trying and failing.

"Yes. Hinata was amazing as always." Aone's gaze hardened, eyes expertly tracking the head of vibrant orange curls among his dull-haired teammates. "But something's different."

Koganegawa shrugged, throwing his legs up to rest on the chair in front of him and slumping down in his seat. "If you want my personal opinion-"

"I don't."

"I think your crazy obsession with the middle blocker has you seeing things."

Obara was unable to contain a snort as Koganegawa withered under Aone's well deserved murderous glare. Still, though. Aone hadn't denied it. Mostly because half of the statement was true. Aone wasn't ashamed to admit that he was absolutely infatuated with Hinata. He was addicted to those happy smiles and sparkling eyes, the only light in his otherwise dull and grey life.

Other than the ferocious scowl, Aone didn't pay Koganegawa's comment any mind. He was too preoccupied with the unshakable feeling that something was seriously wrong with his ginger friend. He hadn't been as quick that game, his eyes not as sharp and his jumps not as high. Aone narrowed his eyes, filtering all chatter and sounds around him into nothing but white noise so he could focus. Now that he thought about it, Hinata's eyes hadn't been holding their usual lively spark. They had been dull and concentrated, something that wasn't necessarily uncommon for the middle blocker during games but was rare outside of matches.

Any other day, Hinata would've been celebrating their victory by pumping up his arms or cheering in delight. Instead, Aone could only watch with a frown on his face as the ginger did nothing of the sort. He was still, brown orbs glazed over with a grimace plastered on his face, completely contorting his usually soft and enthusiastic features.

The foreign expression disappeared immediately when one of his teammates, the setter with black hair and an angry face whos name Aone could never remember, tapped him on the shoulder. It was almost eery the way a sickly sweet smile replaced the pained expression in practically an instant as he turned around to face his teammate, all trace of whatever dark thoughts he had been harboring only the moment before disappearing entirely from his face.

Aone blinked. It was alarming how quickly his attitude had shifted, and even though his teammates surrounded the ginger, Aone was reasonably sure that he was the only one who had noticed the split-second change in emotion. His brow furrowed. What could have possibly caused the happiest boy Aone had ever known to be fixed with such a sad expression. He was quiet for a moment before his eyes widened in realization.

"Koganegawa." There was a sense of urgency in his tone as his setter fixed him with a questioning look, waiting for him to continue. "What's the date?"

"The date? Why?"

Aone resisted the urge to strangle his teammate. This was vital information, and he needed it NOW. "Just answer the question!" Koganegawa threw his hands up in surrender and pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. His eyes flitted over the lock screen for a moment before he looked back up at the white-haired blocker.

"June 17th. Why?"

Oh.

Oh shit.

Aone only had one concern at that moment. He needed to get to Hinata, and he needed to get to him now.

"I'm going down there," Aone announced quickly, darting up from his seat and running faster than any of his teammates had ever seen towards the stairwell that would lead him down to the volleyball courts. Obara quickly jumped up from his chair as well and sprinted over to his frantic teammate to grab his elbow.

"I think Koganegawa might be right in this instance, Aone." He said carefully, ignoring the smug look Koganegawa threw his way. "You're probably just overthinking things."

Aone shook his head. "I'm not." He said simply, fixing the spiker with a harsh stare and yanking his arm away. Obara raised an eyebrow at the unusual display of aggression.

"Care to fill us in on what's going on?"

"No."

And with that, he sprinted down the stairs three at a time and dashed around the corner of the stairwell, leaving his very confused teammate in the dust.

xxx

"Hinata!" Aone's voice echoed throughout the corridor, causing multiple heads to turn his way as he barrelled down the hallways towards a very confused Karasuno. Hinata's eyes widened as he bit his lip, not sure how much longer he could maintain his facade. It was hard work, keeping a smile on his face and bouncing around when all he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and cry. He had even considered bailing on the match, but his teammates were counting on him and his absence would raise unwanted questions, ones that Hinata wasn't sure he could answer without breaking down into tears.

"Is there something you need?" Daichi asked slowly, raising an eyebrow. All of Karasuno was staring at the humongous white-haired blocker now, all except a certain ginger. His eyes were looking anywhere but, knowing full well that if his gaze locked with Aone, the only person who knew exactly what day it was, he wouldn't be able to hold it together.

Aone ignored the captain as he slowed to a stop in front of the wary team. "Hinata. " He repeated, voice willing the ginger to look up at him. The orangette bit his lip and screwed his eyes shut, an action that didn't go unnoticed by his friends, who, in turn, formed some sort of protective barrier around their small spiker, positioning him as far away from Aone as possible.

"I don't think he wants to talk to you," Kageyama said icily, trademark scowl in place on his face. Aone tried again.

"Hinata-"

"We're going to have to ask you to leave." Tsukishima's voice was cold and his stare was calculating as his eyes practically bore holes into the white-haired player before them. He crossed his arms and raised a cocky eyebrow, daring the Date Tech player to defy him. Aone resisted the urge to groan. Hinata's teammates meant well, he knew that, but they were making an already stressful situation so much harder than it had to be.

"Just let me ask something," Aone said calmly, though his words had a particularly nasty edge to them. "Please." No one said anything, which Aone took as an invitation to continue. "Hinata." He paused. "Do they know?"

"No." Hinata's voice cracked violently, causing all Karasuno members to whip around to stare at their second smallest teammate. He looked like he was in physical pain, a sight that made every one of his teammates cringe internally. The usually sunshiny boy cracked a small smile, one of which that was merely a shell of his usual beam. "No, they don't."

Suga put a tentative hand on his underclassman's shoulder. "Hinata wha-"

No one on Karasuno expected the events that unfolded in those next few seconds. Hinata hiccuped a few times before breaking down completely, the carefully crafted impression of happiness crumbling away to reveal a troubled, scared kid. He barrelled through his teammates and ran straight into Aone's chest, warping his arms around his midsection and hugging him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. Aone, in turn, wrapped one of his humongous arms around the trembling boy and used the other one to run a soothing hand through his tangily, sweaty curls.

"Shouyou," Aone whispered slowly. "Do you want to-"

"Yes." Hinata's response was immediate as he struggled to breathe through the tears. "Yes, please."

"Okay." Aone's gaze lifted from his small friend to the team in front of him, confusion, worry, and heartbreak written all over their faces. "I'm going to take Hinata now. All of you can head back to the school without him."

"Now wait a minute." Nishinoya couldn't tear his eyes away from the underclassman that he had grown to adore. His heart ached at the sight of the most positive person he had ever known being reduced to nothing more than trembling shoulders and uncontrollable weeping. There was nothing more he wanted to do than make it better, take Hinata's burden for himself no matter what it was. It was killing him, every sob chipping away at his heart and every tremble making him wince in pain. He wanted to know what was going on...no scratch that. He needed to know what was going on, need to know so he could fix it, no matter what it took. "What the hell's going on?"

Aone glanced down at Hinata, who shook his head ever so slightly. Aone pursed his lips in acceptance, knowing precisely what Hinata wanted to say but couldn't find the strength to express.

"As of right now, it's none of your business." He removed his hand from Hinata's head and held it up to silence the protests from Karasuno. "Look." He bit his lip. "If you care about Shouyou at all, please go back to your school and do not pester him about this."

Now that shut everyone up. The team full of crows was frozen for a moment, unsure whether they should keep demanding answers or listen to Aone's orders.

"Okay." Ten heads whipped around to stare incredulously at their captain, mouths open and ready to argue. Daichi fixed them with a glare, causing all of them to shrink back. "We care about Hinata." He continued, eyes shifting from his teammates to the whimpering ginger. "If us not knowing is what's best for him, then that's okay." He gulped. This was harder than he thought it was going to be. "And if going with you will make him feel better, then that's fine too."

Aone nodded in gratitude, moving his hand from Hinata's head to his back as he began rubbing soothing circles. Hinata's sobs hadn't dampened in the slightest, and Aone doubted that they would all night, but that was okay. Hinata needed this. Desperately. After all, it was June 17th.

"Thank you."

"BUT!" Daichi raised a threatening finger. "If he comes back to us with so much as a scratch, you better start running."

"It's okay." All eyes turned to the crying boy. Aone's now soaked jersey muffled his voice, which was trembling violently, but it was still Hinata through and through. He lifted his face from Aone's chest and flashed his teammates a sorrowful, watery smile, and all Karasuno wanted to do was scoop the middle blocker that they loved so much into a hug and never let go. But they resisted, for Hinata's sake. "It's okay." The ginger repeated. "Aone wouldn't hurt me."

Aone nodded in confirmation, knowing full well the day he found himself raising a hand against Hinata was the day the world ended and all logic turned upside down.

"Please." He said, hugging Hinata closer to his chest. "Carry on. I know what to do."

Daichi nodded numbly and turned away from the duo, gesturing for his teammates to follow him. They all eventually did, but not before sending pained looks Hinata's way and flashing sad, sympathetic smiles. Aone watched from his position in the middle of the now-empty hallway, waiting until the black jackets disappeared entirely from his sight.

"June 17th, huh." He said after a moment, glancing down at the ginger. Hinata's red eyes gazed back up at him as he choked out laugh.

"Yeah." He whispered, letting a few more tears slip down his already wet cheeks.

"You shouldn't have even been playing today, Shouyou," Aone muttered, carefully removing Hinata's arms from his waist so he could bend down to the other boy's eye level. He didn't even flinch as small arms wrapped around his neck instantly. "Why haven't you told your team yet?" He whispered soothingly, not wanting to do anything to upset his friend further. "I'm sure if they knew they would've let you skip this one game."

Hinata hiccupped, sending a violent shiver through his already shaking body. "I know." Aone felt him shrug. "There's just no easy way to tell someone that it's the anniversary of your dad's death, you know?" At this, another round of sobs exploded out of the boy as he squeezed Aone's neck harder, not that Aone minded.

"Yeah." Aone murmured sadly, rubbing Hinata's shoulder in a calming manner in an attempt to slightly pacify his distraught friend. "I know."

xxx

"Where the heck is Aone?" Sakunami wondered aloud, scanning the seats for his white-haired teammate.

Koganegawa shrugged nonchalantly, angling his head towards the libero to indicate that he was talking to him. "I don't know. He's been gone ever since the Karasuno match ended."

Sakunami wrinkled his nose at the name. "What? Why?"

"Dunno. He said something looked off about Karasuno's number ten and ran down there to check or something."

"Oh." Sakunami's face twisted into an unreadable expression. "Hinata Shouyou."

Koganegawa threw his hands up in exasperation. "Did everyone know his name except me!?"

Obara waved him off and turned to face his underclassman. "He kept insisting there was something wrong with Hinata. We haven't seen him since he left."

"Hey, guys?" All three heads turned to Futakuchi in question. "Aone says he's not going to be able to make the team dinner tonight."

"What?" Koganegawa whirled around. "Seriously! He's ditching us for the ginger?!"

Futakuchi put a warning hand up in an attempt to calm the setter. "Don't jump to conclusions." A small ding emanated from his phone, causing him to look down for a moment. His eyes flitted over the screen, reading whatever message was displayed before him. "Oop. Nevermind." He snapped his phone shut. "He's totally ditching us for the ginger."

"SERIOUSLY!?" Koganegawa flipped out, jumping up from his seat with betrayal written all over his face. "How could he do that! We've been planning this dinner for weeks! Not the mention he's hanging out with a member of Karasuno," He spit the name out like a curse, "Of all people!"

Obara sent Koganegawa a nervous smile. "Look, Aone was really insistent." He scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe we should just leave them be...?"

"Nah, to hell with that!" Futakuchi pocketed his phone and pumped his fist up in the air. "We're a team, and teams don't ditch teammates for other teams!" He smiled brightly, no doubt energized by the prospect of making trouble instead of having to be serious like he did when the third years were around. His every word was punctuated by Koganegawa's enthusiastic screaming and cheering. Sakunami just shook his head, already knowing that he was going to get roped into this whether he wanted to or not.

"Guys, I really-" Obara was abruptly cut off as a hand grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him up from his sitting position in the stands, where a grinning Futakuchi immediately greeted him.

"Come on, Obara! It'll be fun, I promise!"

"It really won't be," Obara grumbled under his breath as he let himself be pulled after Sakunami and Koganegawa by his captain. He couldn't really resist, after all. If he didn't come along, who knew what trouble those three could get in to. Plus, he was a little curious about as to why Aone was so urgent to get to Hinata after the Karasuno match, not that he would admit that to Futakuchi or Koganegawa. There was no way he was throwing any more fuel on that fire.

Futakuchi sent a quick text message out to the Date Tech group chat with the rest of their teammates to meet them at Aone's house. The four friends walked in silence to said location, where they were surprised to be greeted by Onagawa and Fukiage.

Sakunami blinked. "How'd you guys get here so fast?"

Onagawa jammed his thumb over his shoulder. "Me and Fukiage were walking to the dinner when he got your text." He shifted his gaze from the libero to Futakuchi, raising his eyebrow in question. "By the way, what gives?"

"Aone ditched us for Karasuno's number ten!" Koganegawa cried, throwing his hands around in exaggerated motions. Obara shook his head. That protein bar the setter had eaten earlier probably had caffeine in it or something.

"Oh." Fukiage exchanged glances with Onagawa. "Hinata Shouyou."

"HOW DOES EVERYONE ALREADY KNOW HIS NAME?"

"Aone talks about him quite a bit." Sakunami shot Koganegawa an annoyed eye roll. "If you were quiet for once, you'd know that."

"I CAN BE QUIET!"

"Great, please put on a demonstration of those skills while the mentally sane people talk." Onagawa deadpanned, turning to Futakuchi. "Anyway, why are we here?"

"To crash the party, of course!" Futakuchi spread his arms wide and grinned. "Why else?"

"Dude. That's like...a super shitty move."

"But he ditched us!"

"So? It's Aone. I'm sure he wouldn't do it without a good reason."

"So you're just gonna let him get away with this!?"

Onagawa rolled his eyes. "Get away with what, exactly? He obviously has a soft spot for Hinata. I see nothing wrong with that."

"I'm with him." Fukiage pointed a finger at Onagawa. "This is a total invasion of privacy. Aone can explain his reasons for ditching us for Hinata later."

Futakuchi crossed his arms. "If you agree to do this with me, I will personally pay for any type of ramen you want with any toppings." He smirked. There it was—his trump card.

Onagawa stared at him. "That's a dirty trick, Futakuchi."

The boy in question grinned triumphantly. "So you'll do it?"

"I guess," Onagawa mumbled. He glanced at Fukiage beside him, who was nodding his head vigorously. The list of things he wouldn't do for all-expense-paid ramen was astronomically short.

"Great!" Futakuchi clapped his hands together. "Let's go see what the hell Aone's deal is."

Koganegawa, unable to contain himself anymore, sprinted toward the front door at full speed. He threw it open and gestured for his teammates to follow. Futakuchi obliged immediately, followed by Onagawa, Fukiage, Sakunami, and finally, Obara, who closed the door slowly and followed his friend. They crept as silently through the carpeted hallway of Aone's house, every so often peering through the multiple entrances to see if any of them occupied their white-haired teammate or Hinata. Having looked in nearly every room and seeing no one, only one door was left. It was positioned at the very end of the hallway, and an almost ominous aura was emanating from it.

"You think they're in there?" Sakunami asked after a moment of staring at the door.

"They've gotta be," Futakuchi answered, taking a step forward and gesturing for his teammates to follow. With confidence Sakunami had never seen before, Futakuchi grasped the handle the threw open the door in one fluid motion, before freezing on the spot. He didn't know what he expected to see when he entered the room. Aone and Hinata playing video games, passing a volleyball around maybe, or even talking trash about other teams. What he didn't expect, however, was to be met with the stares of a very angry Aone with Hinata buried in his chest, crying his eyes out.

xxx

"What the HELL are you doing here?!" Aone hissed at his stunned teammates, who were currently frozen in the doorway. "Get out!"

"Did you do that to him?" Sakunami's voice was barely audible, his eyes trained on the sobbing form of the usually bouncy middle blocker.

"Excuse me?!" Aone's voice was dangerously low. "If you are implying that I was the one who made Hinata cry, then you are sorely mistaken." He glared. "Now. LEAVE."

"What's going on?" Hinata peeked up from where he was curled into Aone. His now red eyes widened slightly at the sight of the six members crowding around the living room door. "Oh." He was silent for a moment before he sat up and scrubbed at his tear-stained cheeks, a sight which made the hearts of each of the Date Tech players ache simultaneously. "Hi."

"Hi," Obara whispered back, unsure of what they had just walked in to. "I think we'll be going now so-"

"No." Hinata offered a broken, tired smile. "You can stay." His gaze flitted between Aone and his teammates. "You're Aone's teammates, right?" He studied them for a moment. Talking to people was a good distraction from the overwhelming weight he felt in his chest right now. Though Aone was the only one present who knew his current situation and he was beyond thankful for him, his white-haired friend wasn't exactly the best person to hold a conversation with. "Kenji Futakuchi, Yutaka Obara, Kousuke Sakunami, Kanji Koganegawa, Tarou Onagawa, and Jingo Fukiage."

"How do you know all our names?" Koganegawa blurted out, immediately regretting it after receiving harsh glares from every one of his teammates. Hinata just sniffled.

"You're all terrific volleyball players." He hiccupped pitifully, sending another pang through everyone's hearts. "I admire all of you for a lot of different reasons." Hinata's eyes gave a tiny twinkle as he stared up at the stunned Date Tech players. He examined them for a moment before looking at Aone. "Can they come in?" His voice was still shakey but his tears had ceased, not because he wasn't sad anymore but simply because he didn't have any left to shed. His tear ducts were completely tried out, and all Hinata could muster were gasping breaths and frantic hiccups. Aone nodded after a moment and signaled for his teammates to come through the threshold and into the room.

They cautiously entered the room and settled on the couch next to the duo. Everyone got themselves situation and comfortable without much of a problem, but after a few moments of silence, Obara decided he couldn't take it anymore.

"Hinata." The ginger turned to him, face red and blotchy and shoulders trembling. He just had to know. "Are you okay?"

Everyone tensed, though they had all been wondering the same thing. All eyes were on the small volleyball player as he froze for a moment, chewing on his lip as if in thought. "No." He said finally. "I'm not."

A defending silence filled the room, each player trying to figure out how to comprehend Hinata's confession while Aone just looked plain sad.

"Would you mind telling us why?" Sakunami whispered, barely able to keep his voice from cracking. Even though he didn't personally know the ginger just yet, he had seen the warm, genuine smiles that occupied his face day by day at various training camps and tournaments. They were so bright, so full of reassurance and life that it had made his heart ache the first time he had caught a glimpse of it. To see that same boy sitting so broken in front of him...it was more than he could take.

Hinata shook his head automatically. "I'd rather keep that to myself." He bit his lip apologetically. "If that's okay with you."

Sakunami shook his hands in front of his face, severely unwilling to pressure the boy into anything. "No! I mean, yes! I mean..." He mentally slapped himself. "Of course. It's your choice."

"Is there anything we can do?" Onagawa was wringing his hands together nervously. "For you, I mean." His teammates nodded vigorously at Onagawa's question, overcome by the sudden urge to help the ginger in front of them. Hinata mustered up a shrug.

"I'm kind of hungry." He admitted after a minute, shoulders falling to his sides and head hanging low. He just looked so utterly tired at that moment. His face was red and splotchy, yet pale at the same time. Dark bags found a home under his bloodshot eyes, and matted hair clung to his damp cheeks. "If that's okay." He whispered that last part. Asking for help was utterly foreign to the ginger. He always wanted to do things himself, build up his skills all on his own so he could be the best he could be.

"Of course, it's okay." Koganegawa's voice was uncharacteristically soft and soothing. He turned to Futakuchi. "Go to the kitchen, see if you can find some miso soup for Hinata's hunger and his throat." His gaze shifted to Fukiage. "See if you can find any blankets lying around, anything that might make him more comfortable." His teammates followed his commands without a second thought, both rushing off to do as the setter asked. Koganegawa smiled slightly before standing up himself. "I'm going to help Futakuchi in the kitchen." He declared softly. "You four stay with him."

The room fell into silence again after he left, the only sound being Hinata's occasional sniffles.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Obara sent a bewildered look Hinata's way. "Why?"

Hinata chuckled, though there was no humor behind it. "I finally meet the rest of the members of the great Date Tech volleyball team, and this is how I'm acting." He gestured to himself sadly. "I'm a mess." Obara wordlessly scooted closer to the troubled boy and carefully snaked an arm around his shoulder. He carefully guided Hinata's head until it was situated comfortably on his shoulder. Even though he had technically just met the middle blocker, Obara couldn't help but feel an overwhelming urge to protect the boy, comfort him until all of his problems went away, and he knew his teammates were feeling the exact same thing. He could tell by the way they exchanged worried glances, their insistence on helping Hinata, and how they followed orders to help the ginger without so much as a second thought.

"Don't be sorry," Obara muttered. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." It was Aone this time, who was looking at Hinata with undeniable fondness. "None of this is your fault." Hinata's lips curved up into a small smile, a real one. It was pure and sincere and the amount of love the present players felt for the boy at that moment was nothing short of indescribable.

The five volleyball players struck up a comfortable conversation a few moments later, most of the questions being directed at Hinata to get his mind off all of the emotions running through his head. It was a nice rhythm, and their strategy seemed to be working fairly well. They rapidly fired volleyball questions at the orangette, all of which he answered perfectly without a moment's hesitation, even in his current state.

"MISO'S READY!" Futakuchi yelled fifteen minutes later, storming out of the kitchen with a steaming hot bowl of admittedly good looking soup in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

Hinata raised his head from its place on Obara's shoulder, where it had been resting for the past twenty minutes or so. "Tha-"

"I FOUND BLANKETS!" Fukiage's voice rang throughout the house as he literally zoomed towards the living room with about five fluffy blankets and two pillows in hand, smiling in childish excitement.

Sakunami's eyes widened. "WAIT A SEC DON'T-"

Fukiage barely had time to register his words before he collided head-on with Futakuchi, sending both of them sprawling in a tangle of limbs, fluff, and blankets. Koganegawa barely had time to blink before something warm and wet was dripping down his forehead. He stuck his tongue out and licked a drop experimentally. Yep. He nodded to himself—Miso soup. The bowl was perched precariously on Koganegawa's head as the contents soaked his hair and spilled down his face, burning slightly but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

A bubbly laugh erupted from Hinata's throat, causing all those present to whip their heads around to stare at the boy. He doubled over, unable to contain himself at the sight in front of him. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were squeezed shut as sounds of pure joy echoed throughout the house, bouncing off the walls and into the hearts of all the players in the room. They couldn't stop the adoring smiles that crept up onto their faces even if they tried as they took in the sight of laughing Hinata. It truly was a sight to behold.

"Thank you." A stray tear dropped from Hinata's eye and rolled down his cheek, sending Date Tech into a sudden panicked frenzy. Hinata just giggled at their antics and waved them off. "I"m fine, I'm fine." He said, the smile still in place. "I needed that."

Aone smiled softly. "I'll always be here if you need anything, Shouyou." He said gently, practically bursting with joy.

"We will too," Onagawa interjected, his statement punctuated by choruses of agreement from the rest of his teammates.

Hinata perked up slightly. "Really?" His eyes were shining, though not with tears.

"Really."

The members of Date Tech made a vow that day. No matter what the cause or what the circumstance, they would make it their mission to protect that sunshiny smile.

Hinata was never going to frown ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a question for all of you. What do you feel when you read this fic? I mean does it make you feel happy, fluffy, like what emotion describes what you feel while reading all of the chapters I've put out there so far?
> 
> Just a question I've been wondering.
> 
> Anyway, I love you all!


	9. Karasuno's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Each of Hinata's teammates' perspectives of seeing him cry and volleyball practice the next day.
> 
> Hinata wasn't a child. He wasn't going to break because of something like this. So why was his team treating him like he was made of glass?
> 
> Sorry, this chapter took a hot minute! I had a tiny bit of trouble deciding where I wanted to go with it. 
> 
> :)

Asahi felt like crying.

The mere sight of his favorite little ginger sobbing his eyes out made his heart clench in uncomfortable ways. With every tear, every shake, and every shuddering breath, Asahi couldn't help but feel partially responsible. He was Hinata's upperclassman. While he wasn't technically obligated to take care of him, he couldn't help it. He had fallen in love with those ginger curls and sparkling eyes the very moment the first year had greeted him in the hallway with a smile. It was a smile like none he had ever seen before, and it made his chest ache.

It was pure and innocent, full of genuine excitement and love for everything around him. It was the kind of smile that Asahi hadn't seen since he was a kid, sheltered from the horrors of the world and the hardships of everyday life. It was the kind of smile that the moment he saw it, he made the silent vow to protect it.

Asahi had only grown more and more fond of Hinata as the year went on. He adored everything about his fellow spiker, from his enthusiastic cheers whenever they won a game to the way his face exploded with joy whenever he hit one of Kageyama's perfect sets. From his infectious, bubbly laugh to his fantastic home cooking. From his admittedly impressive singing to how he would go out of his way to help anyone and everyone. He admired every single quirk and talent his teammate had to offer.

Asahi took immense delight in the time he spent with Hinata. The ginger added just the right amount of pizzazz and sparkle to his dull, grey high school life.

No one was going to take even an ounce of sincerity out of that smile, not while Asahi was alive and breathing.

And yet here he was, standing helplessly to the side, eyes brimming with frustrated tears of his own, while Hinata cried his eyes out in Aone's chest.

He felt like he had failed, somehow.

xxx

Nishinoya was fuming.

Not at Hinata, or course. He would never even dream of being mad at his favorite underclassman. Not at Aone, either, though if he had something to do with Hinata state right now, that would change in an instant. His rage was directed at whatever sick bastard had the nerve to make the boy so full of life and happiness and reassurance cry. It was a crime punishable by death in Nishinoya's mind, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. He was way too devoted to the middle blocker.

To say Nishinoya was fond of his Shouyou was a gross understatement. Nishinoya was addicted to Hinata's smiles, but then again, who wasn't? The knowledge that he got his sunshiny underclassman to grin with such delight and joy filled the libero with an overwhelming sensation of accomplishment and inflated his ego tenfold. Even though he knew it wasn't exactly challenging to get the ginger to smile, he would keep on doing it and doing it until he couldn't anymore.

Because as long as Hinata's happy, even in the toughest situations, the libero knew that everything's going to be alright.

That's why the scene in front of him was so scary.

The libero would die for the ginger without a second thought, no hesitation necessary. Even the idea of his slightly taller teammate getting injured in some way made him want to snort. Yeah. As if he would ever let that happen. He would much rather quit volleyball and insult Kiyoko's looks than have even a drop of harm befall the middle blocker.

That was just how it was—a simple fact. The sky is blue, the grass is green, Nishinoya protects Hinata.

Nishinoya clenched his fists, practically vibrating with fury. If he ever found the bitch responsible for this, there would be HELL to pay. He didn't care if he got expelled, arrested, or even sent to jail or some shit.

No one makes Hinata cry.

Not on Nishinoya's watch.

xxx

Suga could feel his paternal instincts kicking into overdrive.

Suga couldn't take it. The sight of his precious teammate crying and trembling while he stood by and did nothing was shattering his heart. There was nothing more he wanted to do than scoop Hinata in for a hug and never let go, whispering comforting words once in a while and asking him what happened, what he can do to make it better.

Suga had always sensed naivety in Hinata. It was there in everything he did. The way he shamelessly sang to himself in the most random situations, the way he would challenge Kageyama to pointless fights and become friends with anyone and everyone, no matter how dangerous or threatening they seemed. It was etched all over his face, ingrained in his every action.

But the most telling sign was in Hinata's lively smiles.

Smiles so bright and so sincere and excited that you couldn't help but wonder if this boy had truly seen the world, seen the harsh reality of it all. He was so eager and so innocent, and Suga intended to keep him that way. He would fight to keep Hinata happy and cheerful, and if that meant sheltering him entirely from the hardships of the real world? Suga was completely and utterly okay with it.

But apparently, his efforts had been in vain.

The crying, shaking form of the boy he would give life and limb to keep smiling was definitely someone who had seen firsthand how cruel the world was.

Suga wanted to hug Hinata and never let go.

All he wanted to do was make everything okay.

xxx

Tsukishima was frozen.

Hinata and sad were two words that should never be in the same sentence. Not ever. Tsukishima knew he teased his fellow middle blocker a lot and brought him down a peg or two, but he didn't hate him. No, it was pretty much the opposite.

Hinata was too trusting. That much was clear the moment Tsukishima set eyes on the beaming ginger boy, who was so enthusiastic and kind that he couldn't help but like him, even if he wouldn't admit it. The only reason he tried to tear him down was for, well, his own safety.

Hinata looked at everything around him with stars in his eyes and a bright smile on his face, leaving the blonde blocker to wonder if the word 'hate' was even in Hinata's vocabulary. To say the ginger was an optimist would be a humongous understatement. Hinata was able to perceive anything and everything as good, and that fact alone scared Tsukishima out of his wits.

The world was a dangerous place full of disappointments and chaos; that much was abundantly clear to the taller male. He was just worried that Hinata didn't see it that way. The whole reason he had been throwing insults this way and that for the entirety of the season was so Hinata would become a little more cautious, a little more suspicious of the people and the world around him. Tsukishima had always calculated his insults carefully. After all, he would never dream of saying something that would wipe the sunny expression off of his fellow middle blocker's face completely.

But right at that moment, Tsukishima couldn't move. He was paralyzed, staring wide-eyed and mouth agape at the sight of his friendly, warm-hearted fellow blocker being reduced to nothing but breathy trembles and hiccupy sobs. This wasn't the Hinata he knew. This wasn't the Hinata that looked at everything and everyone like they hung the stars in the sky.

This was something completely different. This was a broken, scared boy who was beyond tired of the world around him. This was someone who had seen and experienced far too much to keep smiling the way he did every day.

Tsukishima, for lack of a better word, was terrified.

xxx

Yamaguchi could barely keep it together.

The sweet, loving, kind, charismatic soul known as Hinata Shouyou was crying right in front of him, and he had no idea what to do.

It was killing him.

Every sob felt like a piece of his chest was being ripped out, every tremble and shake stealing the breath away from his lungs. Hell, the version of Hinata being displayed before him was so drastically different than the one he saw every day, the one he had sleepovers with nearly every week, the one who would listen to his insecurities and doubts and always know exactly what to say.

Yamaguchi was riddled with anxiety. Invasive thoughts often took up his head and swirled around, refusing to leave him alone. Of course, he always had Tsuki to talk to, but his blonde best friend wasn't exactly the best with feelings. Luckily for him, when he was at his worst, an energized ball of sunshine bounced his way right into his life, as well as his heart.

Hinata always knew what to say and do, something that Yamaguchi was eternally grateful for. The pinch server wasn't anywhere near the point where he would consider harming himself, but Hinata always gave comforting him his all.

The ginger would always listen to all of Yamaguchi's vents, whether they were over phone, text, or in person. No matter where he was at the time or what he was doing, if Yamaguchi contacted him about a problem, Hinata would drop everything and be over at his house in fifteen minutes flat, where he would throw open the door and wrap Yamaguchi in the tightest, most comforting hug the pinch server had ever known.

Hinata always talked him down, no matter the situation. The ginger could make all of Yamaguchi's self-doubt disappear within minutes, using only loving, reassuring words and affectionate gestures.

So why couldn't Yamaguchi return the favor? Why was he such an awful friend to the person who made him feel like the most appreciated person on the planet?

Yamaguchi wanted so desperately to make it better, just like all the times Hinata had done for him.

But he didn't know how, and it was ripping him apart inside.

xxx

Tanaka had never felt so helpless in his life.

Up until this point, his problems had always been somewhat physical. He could always punch someone or something around him to calm his nerves and make him feel better or give him the satisfaction of handling something himself. He wasn't a violent guy, don't get him wrong. It was just how he expressed things growing up with someone like his sister.

Which is why he had no idea what he was supposed to do with the situation in front of him. Fists and force were utterly out of the question, the only reason being that Hinata was involved, and Tanaka would rather cut off his right arm than let anything happen to his precious underclassman, especially by his own hand. All he could do was stare feebly off the side, wincing with each cry and muffled sob.

For as long as Tanaka had known him, Hinata had been all smiles all the time. He had taken a liking to the boy immediately. The spiker had never had a younger brother before, but he reckoned that this was kind of what it felt like. He adored teaching Hinata new tricks and moves, an overwhelming sense of pride swallowing him up every time the ginger's eyes sparkled with admiration at him or his movements.

It was the best feeling in the world.

The one thing Tanaka had never expected Hinata to do was to cry. He didn't even think the word sadness was in the smaller boy's dictionary, but much to his dismay and heartbreak, he was dead wrong. The breathless, shaking boy hugging Aone's massive chest was proof enough for that.

The only think Tanaka couldn't figure out was why. Why was Hinata crying? Why to this extent? Why was Aone the only one who knew? Why were they refusing to tell them?

Tanaka had never been particularly good at emotions. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Hinata Shouyou of all people had something to cry about. Sure, he didn't know much about the interworkings of his personal life, but didn't the little ginger understand that the entire team was there for him? That they loved him? That they would do anything to make sure his happiness and strength as a person never faded?

Tanaka bit his lip. He wasn't going to cry. Not here, at least. When he got home and was alone in his room, that might be a different story. He didn't understand what was happening, but at the moment he didn't really care.

When Hinata was back to normal, Tanaka was going to make sure he knew exactly how loved he was.

xxx

Kageyama was at a loss.

He was well aware of the fact that he and Hinata spent the most time together out of everyone on the team. They might seem like an odd pair with their personalities being complete opposites of each other, but that might be why they worked so well together. Despite all that, Kageyama had never once seen so much as a flicker of sadness pass the ginger's face. His teammate was a very expressive person, that much was evident to anyone who met him. It was a stark contrast to Kageyama, who was about as emotionally constipated as they come. He knew he wasn't excellent at expressing his thoughts and feelings, but he had them.

Hinata meant a lot to Kageyama, whether he admitted it or not. The spiker was the first person to be able to hit his sets, the first person who was fast enough to keep up with him. He was the reason Kageyama began to love volleyball again.

Kageyama knew that to any person watching the two interact from the outside would only see bitter enemies or two people in a fight. Their conversations consisted of crude name-calling, insults, and jabs at the other's skills, but both never took any of these to heart. That was just how they were. The admittedly harsh teasing and banter had just become part of their day.

Truthfully, Kageyama didn't know what he would do with himself if Hinata had gotten hurt. It was a thought that had crossed his mind more than a few times, but he always shook it off and didn't give it a second thought. Hinata would always be fine in his mind. There was no way the universe would ever let anything bad happen to the person who had given him a purpose again, given him the gift of friendship that he hadn't experienced in middle school.

And yet, it seemed the universe was infinitely crueler than Kageyama could've ever imagined.

Kageyama could only stare in horror as his annoyingly happy spiker broke down right in front of him, clutching an opposing team member's chest and sobbing his heart out. Countless thoughts were swirling through his head as he played numerous simulations out in his mind. He thought back to the match and fought the urge to slap himself mentally.

Of course there had been something wrong with Hinata! He had noticed it from the very beginning. His eyes were dull, his jumps weren't as high, and he wasn't swinging his arms with his usual vigor. Kageyama fought the urge to scream. If only he had asked him about it sooner, if only he had paid closer attention, if only he could do something, anything to fix whatever mess Hinata was caught up it.

Kageyama knew he acted somewhat cruel towards his partner, but he never wanted to see him hurt. Not mentally, not physically, and not emotionally.

Never.

xxx

Daichi was conflicted.

He was the team captain. He prided himself on his decision making, his ability to act efficiently under pressure and make tough decisions when called for. Never in a million years would he have ever thought that one of the decisions he would have to make would be about leaving Hinata Shouyou behind.

Daichi knew they weren't actually going to be abandoning their small middle blocker, never in a million years would that happen, but it sure felt like it. Something was very, very wrong; that much was blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes and ears. Those shaking sobs and trembling hiccups made Daichi's chest constrict violently.

And he hated it.

He wanted so desperately to stay, to yank Hinata from Aone's grip, and wrap the ginger in his own. He wanted to know what was wrong, wanted to know so badly so he could do something about it. Whether he had to punch the person responsible for making his teammate like this or toss him volleyballs until his arms fall off, he would do whatever it took to make Hinata feel better.

But Daichi was perceptive enough to know that what Hinata needed right now wasn't his team. For whatever reason, at the moment, his only source of comfort was Aone, the only person who seemed to know what was going on. The simple fact that a member of Date Tech knew more about their ginger teammate than they did made Daichi's blood boil, but he maintained his calm exterior.

He was going to let Hinata go, for now, because he cared about him.

All of Karasuno did.

xxx

The Next Day

xxx

Hinata wasn't an idiot. From the second he had walked into volleyball practice, everyone had been treating him like he was made of glass. Of course, he couldn't really blame them. Hinata grimaced, the thought of himself breaking down in front of his teammate making bile rise in his throat. They were never meant to see that or that side of him. He was aware he didn't show it often, but it was still there, and it rarely came out.

Hinata prided himself on the fact that he didn't hold too much onto the past, the fact that he rarely let anything get him down, but June 17th was a different story altogether. It was the one day every year where he just couldn't take anymore. It had been six years since his dad had died, but it had never gotten any easier.

He doubted it ever would.

Hinata groaned inwardly. He could see his teammate shooting him wary glances and concerned gazes. The ginger rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Guys. I'm fine."

He was met only with the sound of squeaky shoes and bouncing balls. They weren't ignoring him, per se. It was more like the members of Karasuno were afraid to say anything that would set their smallest middle blocker off. Hinata just gave a huff of annoyance. In all honesty, he was fine. Thanks to the players of Date Tech, he had gotten out of his funk way earlier than usual. Though none of them, save Aone, had any idea exactly what the orangette was so upset about, they were eager to help him nonetheless. Hinata was beyond grateful for that.

Biting his lip, Hinata made a split-second decision to flounce over to the one person who might actually treat him like normal today.

"Hey, Kageyama!" Hinata's voice was bright and cheery as he bounded over to the setter. It wasn't an act; he really was happy, as usual. But the problem was, everyone seemed to think it was.

Kageyama's eyes widened at the sight of his partner, audibly tensing up. "Uh. Hey, Hinata."

Hinata fought the urge to scoff. Well, so much for being treated like an ordinary person today. "Can you throw me some tosses?"

Kageyama's eyes carefully scanned over his spiker, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the ginger. Hinata cringed inwardly. Another concern of the team, much to his annoyance, was the fact that they had somehow gotten it into their heads that Aone would try something to hurt him. As if. He may be big, but Hinata knew he was a humongous softy who would never harm a hair on his head.

Seemingly satisfied with the fact that he found no new bruises, Kageyama stepped back and scowled. "Not right now, Hinata."

Hinata wrinkled his nose. There was a distinct lack of the word 'dumbass' in Kageyama's vocabulary today, and he wasn't sure he liked it. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. Might as well cut to the case. "You're still wondering about yesterday, aren't you." He said it as a statement, not a question. Kageyama flinched and tilted his head slightly downwards so he could meet Hinata's eyes, arms crossed and expression unreadable.

"No shit." He glared, though there was no ill intent behind it, before his eyes softened. "Hinata, what happened? And why was Aone a part of it?"

"Ugh. Don't remind me." Hinata cringed internally, the thought of his teammates seeing him like that again making him sick to his stomach.

"Hinata..." Kageyama warned, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Hinata threw his hands up in response.

"Seriously, I'm fine now!" He grinned widely. It wasn't a lie, though Kageyama seemed to think it was. "It's no big deal!"

Kageyama crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced. "Yeah?" His voice was flat. "Then I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to tell me what the hell happened."

Hinata sighed. Sometimes, Kageyama really had no concept of boundaries. "That's not what I said." He offered Kageyama an apologetic smile. "Look. I'm sorry, but as of right now, only a few people know about it." He rubbed his arm nervously. "And I'm not sure I'd like to expand that circle."

"Oh?" Kageyama raised an eyebrow. "Who knows?" He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as his spiker fixed him with a wary stare. "At least give me that." His voice softened slightly. "I'm worried about you."

Hinata blinked in surprise before nodding hesitantly. "Okay. So um...Aone obviously knows. Iwaizumi and Oikawa do as well-" Kageyama physically gagged at that one, making Hinata laugh brightly before continuing his list. "Akaashi from Fukurodani knows, and then there's Kenma and Lev. I'm also pretty sure Tendou knows, but he won't confirm or deny anything, so it's hard to say." He thought for a moment. "Oh. And Kiyoko."

"KIYOKO KNOWS?!" Kageyama couldn't contain himself after hearing that one. "AND WHY THE HELL DO PLAYERS FROM OTHER TEAMS KNOW AND NOT US?"

"Look. Kenma is the only one I actually told. The rest just kind of...caught me at a bad time."

Kageyama crossed his arms in annoyance. "Define a bad time."

"Look, it was just circumstance, alright?" Hinata pushed past Kageyama. "Now, I'd like to get some actual volleyball in."

"Dumbass..." Ah, there it was. The strange term of endearment Kageyama often used while talking to him, though at the moment, it didn't make the ginger feel any better.

"Drop it." Hinata's tone was icy and cold, sounding more like Tsukishima than his usually cheery self. "I only brought it up because the rest of you are treating me like some child. So tell everyone to stop, or else I am going to pack up my stuff and leave right now."

Hinata didn't bother to see Kageyama's reaction. He spun on his heel and started walking the other way, volleyball still under his arm. Honestly, he was fed up with the way everyone had been acting around him. He could handle himself just fine, thank you very much, and it wasn't very polite or friend-like to try and force an answer about something he clearly didn't want to talk about.

xxx

The rest of practice went on relatively smoothly all things considered. It appeared that Kageyama had delivered Hinata's message to his teammates, and besides the concerned looks and everyone going slightly easier on him than usual, everything was pretty much back to normal.

That is until Nishinoya snapped.

Practice was just wrapping up, and everyone was packing up their belongings and getting ready to go their separate ways. This practice had been optional since it was a Saturday, but every single team member had shown up without fail. Whether it was to see if he was okay or whether they just wanted to play volleyball, Hinata didn't know. He was glad, for the first time in his life, that practice was over. Maybe when they picked back up again on Monday, this whole ordeal would be forgotten.

"Shouyou." Hinata looked up from his duffle bag to stare at his upperclassman.

"Yeah, Noya?"

Nishinoya glared, though it wasn't directed at the ginger. He was beyond frustrated, and his curiosity was eating him up inside. "Spill."

Hinata blinked. "Excuse me?!"

"I said spill." Nishinoya crossed his arms as a tense silence filled the gym. His teammates started at the libero in silent anger and warning, no one daring to make a move on the temperamental shorty, though they would if he upset Hinata further. No one wanted a repeat of yesterday, whatever that was.

Hinata stared incredulously at his upperclassman. Of all people, Nishinoya was the last person Hinata would've expected to get mad at him over this. He just sighed. His teammates really needed to know when to stop prying. "Look. It's a private thing."

"PRIVATE MY ASS!" Nishinoya balled his hands into fists. Hinata could feel the anger coming off him in waves, making him stop in his tracks. "IF IT'S SO 'PRIVATE' WHY DOES AONE KNOW, HUH? WHY NOT US?"

"Nishi, stop." Asahi pleaded, but to no avail. Nishinoya's temper was rising by the second. The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he became. Why couldn't Shouyou just see he was trying to help him?!

"SHUT UP!" Nishinoya batted Asahi's hand away. "AREN'T YOU ALL CURIOUS? WHY DOES A MEMBER OF THAT SHITTY DATE TECH TEAM KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH SHOUYOU?!"

Hinata just glared. This was starting to get really annoying. "Drop it."

"NO WAY IN HELL! WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!"

"You really don't."

"SHOUYOU! STOP BEING SO DIFFICULT! WE WANT TO HELP YOU!"

"The best way to help me would be for you to stop questioning this. Everything's fine."

"WELL IF YESTERDAY WAS ANY INDICATION, IT CLEARLY WASN'T!"

Hinata's eye twitched as his hands dropped from his duffle to his sides. He slowly stood up to face Nishinoya. "Stop." His voice was cold.

That only succeeded in riling Nishinoya up more, much to Karasuno's dismay. If they didn't step in soon, someone was going to get hurt. "NO! WHY ARE YOU SO STUBBORN?!"

"WHY ARE YOU SO PUSHY?" They were both yelling now, voices getting louder and louder with every sentence.

"I JUST WANT TO HELP YOU!"

"WELL, YOU'RE DOING A TERRIBLE JOB AT THAT!"

"IF YOU WON'T TELL ME THEN I'LL JUST FIND OUT OTHER WAYS!"

"OH YEAH?! HOW. SO."

"I'LL ASK AONE, TRACK YOUR HOUSE DOWN AND ASK YOUR MOM AND YOUR DAD-"

"GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!"

"OH YEAH? YOU DON'T THINK I COULD DO IT!?"

"NO, I DON'T!"

"AND WHY'S THAT?!"

"BECAUSE MY DAD'S DEAD!" Hinata clapped both of his hands over his mouth, eyes widening to epic proportions. He locked eyes with Nishinoya, who had opened his mouth to scream something back but was now just staring at the ginger, gaping. Hinata mentally cursed. God, he was such an idiot. Leave it to him to lose his temper and reveal the very secret he had been arguing to keep. What would they think of him now? Would they hate him? Think he was weak? Would they-

Hinata barely had time to finish his thought before he was pulled into a crushing hug by Suga, followed quickly by Yamaguchi and Asahi, hugging him from each side, so they formed a sort of triangle around him. Hinata responded by burying his head in Yamaguchi's chest, hiding his face from the rest of his teammates. He wasn't going to cry, but damn it was hard to resist.

"Hinata, I-" Kageyama didn't even know what to say. "Is that was yesterday was about?"

Hinata nodded numbly. "Yeah." He mumbled, voice muffled by Yamaguchi's t-shirt. "Sixth anniversary of his death." Kageyama swooped down and joined the group hug in an instant. He wasn't particularly fond of physical affection, but he would be damned if he didn't comfort Hinata when he needed it. The gym was silent for a few moments as everyone took this information in.

"How are you so happy?" Hinata peeked his head up to look at Tanaka.

"What?"

"Is it an act?" Tanaka's eyes were glimmering with unshed tears, and no one could blame him. The spiker had just said what everyone had been thinking but were too afraid to ask. Was Hinata's sunny exterior only a front? A mask that he put on to cope with a beloved family member's death? Were his smiles really as pure as they seemed? Or were they hiding a much darker secret underneath?

Hinata managed a small giggle, and that alone was enough to soothe Tanaka's high-strung nerves. The ginger slowly removed himself from around Yamaguchi to stare at his fellow spiker. "I promise, I'm always as happy as I seem." He wrung out his fingers. "It's just, on the anniversary reality sets in, you know? Another year with him gone."

"But how?" It was Tsukishima this time, who was standing dumbly to the side of the hugging pile. "How do you manage to be so cheery every day?" The blonde middle blocker just had to know. He knew the rest of his teammates did too, though they didn't want to admit it.

Hinata just shrugged and smiled softly. "I try not to think about it." He whispered, the atmosphere in the gym suddenly becoming very tense. "I mean, he's always in the back of my mind, but you can't dwell on the past forever, right?" He offered a smile, not as bright as his usual ones but bright enough. "And he would want me to be happy no matter what happened to him. So I do."

"Hinata, why didn't you tell us?" Daichi's eyebrows were furrowed together with worry. "We could've given you the game yesterday off if it was too much for you. We care about you and your mental health Hinata. You know that." Hinata shrugged again. He honestly had no plausible answer as to why he hadn't told his team.

"I dunno." Hinata was aware of how weak that excuse sounded, but it was the truth. "Only a small group of people besides my family knows. I guess I just wasn't quite ready to tell anyone else."

"Who else knows?" Suga was genuinely curious, but he didn't want to push his precious ray of sunshine too hard. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

Hinata nodded and gave Suga a gentle smile. "No. It's okay. I might as well tell you everything since you already know."

Nishinoya audibly flinched at that. He hadn't moved from his previous spot, nor had he contributed anything to the conversation. He was ridden was guilt, and the hatred he felt for himself right how was practically unbearable. How could he have blown up like that? How could he have forced his beloved underclassman to reveal something so personal? He felt like shit, the lowest of the low. All he could do was listen to Hinata's explanation with a heavy heart.

Hinata continued on. "The people who know outside of my family are Aone, Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Lev, Kenma, Akaashi, Kiyoko, maybe Tendou, and now you guys."

"Kiyoko knows?"

"What do you mean maybe Tendou?"

Suga and Daichi glared at each other before looking back at Hinata, both wanting the ginger to answer their questions first. Hinata just laughed it off.

"I'm getting to that. Most of the people found out on accident. Aone's dad works for a pretty well-known newspaper company, the same one that covered his death." He shrugged. "Aone heard my name and put the pieces together. I accidentally let it slip to Oikawa a few weeks ago after we saw a movie together. He encouraged me to talk to Iwaizumi about it since he lost his mom when he was even younger than me."

"Really?" Kageyama wrinkled his nose. He'd never known that.

Hinata nodded. "Yeah. He's helped a lot. Anyways, Akaashi found out when he ran into me visiting my father's grave." His face fell a bit. "Kiyoko found out the same way, but it was a different time." He was silent for a moment before perking back up. "Kenma is the only person I actually told. We were at my house for a sleepover, and it was really late at night. We'd become pretty good friends at that point, so I told him. Lev had been in the kitchen, and he'd overheard."

"And Tendou...?" It was Asahi who asked.

Hinata chucked. "Yeah. I'm not quite sure if he's figured it out, but if he hasn't, then I have no intent on telling him. No matter how good of a friend he is."

"Shouyou, I'm sorry." All eyes turned to Nishinoya, his lips pursed as he refused to meet Hinata's eyes, instead fixing them on the hardwood floor. "I never should've lost my temper, and I never should've pushed you so hard. I was just worried, and I wanted to make it better somehow and I-"

"It's okay, Noya." Hinata smiled brightly as the libero practically melted at the adoration and forgiveness in the ginger's eyes. "I'm not mad. I think it was about time I told you all about this anyway." He bit his lip and laughed nervously. "I'm really sorry for screaming at you and-"

Hinata didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Nishinoya ripped him away from his four other teammates to gather him in a hug. "Don't apologize." He whispered, almost on the verge of tears. He wouldn't blame his underclassman if he never spoke to him again, but despite the circumstances, Hinata had forgiven him in less then five minutes. "I'm so, so sorry, Shou."

Hinata smiled and nodded before gently pulling away from Nishinoya's grasp. "It's okay, everyone. Just please promise me one thing." He didn't wait for any confirmation to continue. "Don't treat me any differently because of this, okay? I have no problem talking about him. It happened a long time ago, and I really only break down on days like the anniversary because of it. So please don't treat me like I'm going to break at any second." He beamed. "I promise I'm not."

"Can I ask one thing?" Kageyama held up a finger. "How did he die?"

There was a beat of silence as everyone held their breath.

"Cancer," Hinata answered finally. It was a simple, one-word answer, but it was enough for the members of Karasuno to once again tackle their second smallest teammate into a crushing hug. Well, everyone except Tsukishima, who just watched the spectacle with a fond smile on his lips.

He was glad this wasn't going to break Hinata.

The ginger was a lot stronger than he gave him credit for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!


	10. Can We Keep Him? (nekoma edition)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karasuno and Nekoma get locked in the gym after a particularly rigorous practice match. Chaos ensues, the rest of Nekoma meets the real Hinata, and Kuroo shows some adorable pictures on his phone, much to the embarrassment of the resident ball of sunshine and videogame addict.

"Nice receive!"

"I got it. I got it!"

"It's okay, shake it off!"

"Nice kill!"

"One more, one more!"

"Mine!"

"Sorry, guys, my bad."

"One more set!"

Nekoma's gym reeked of sweat and rubber as they and Karasuno entered their fifth practice set of the evening. Though it wasn't a particularly relaxing way to spend a perfectly good Sunday, the competitiveness between the two teams was infectious. Everyone, even Kenma, had given it their absolute 100% best, and as a result, everyone, besides Hinata, was dead tired.

How the ginger was still moving was anyone's guess at this point, but he still had as much spring in his step and speed in his shoes as he had at the beginning of the match, much to the annoyance of everyone else, who were fighting to stay upright. Perhaps it was just the thrill of the game or sheer determination, but the sparkle of excitement in Hinata's eyes hadn't dulled a bit.

"Man, where does he get all that energy from?" Yamamoto muttered, wiping beads of sweat off his brow as he got in position to receive another serve. "He's got stamina for days."

Lev, who at this point was practically a pile of limbs on the floor, gave the ace a halfhearted shrug. "I got no idea," he breathed heavily, warily watching Hinata zoom from one side of the court to the next without even breaking a sweat. "I'm pretty sure it's endless at this point."

Kuroo choked out a laugh, the captain not doing much better than any of his teammates. "I don't know." He ran a hand through his sweaty hair, slicking it back before ruffling it up again. "I don't think I've ever seen it run out."

As if to punctuate Kuroo's remark, Hinata slammed the ball down with a loud bang as Nekoma just watched, too tired and too unmotivated to even attempt to receive the impossible spike, knowing it would be futile anyway.

"Nice kill, Hinata!" Daichi yelled, shooting the first year a weak thumbs-up, which at this point was all he could muster. It didn't seem to matter to Hinata though, who just smiled brightly at his captain and pranced back into position, obviously pleased with his performance.

"Why don't we call this fifth set a draw!" Suga yelled from the sidelines. Though he hadn't got to play nearly half as much as the rest of his team did, he wasn't an idiot. Both of the team's faces were shining with sweat, and ragged breaths could be heard from everyone in the room, save one little middle blocker.

"I second that!" Kuroo called weakly, flashing a grateful smile Suga's way. The setter just returned the smile and shrugged. Murmurs of agreement were heard throughout the gym as everyone either made their way over to the benches or collapsed where they stood, more than willing to call this match a draw if there was even a chance they could relax. Hinata bit his lip in a pout but didn't say anything. Call him naive all you want, but even he could tell when someone was nearing their limit, and right now that someone was both his team and Nekoma's.

The gym lapsed into silence as players either took huge swigs of water or just sat back, desperate for a breather. Hinata wrinkled his nose as the harsh aroma of sweat reached his nostrils, becoming aware just how hard the two teams had been working. Still, though, he wasn't tired. Shaking his head, he walked over to the bench, making a point of plopping himself right next to Kageyama. His partner gave him a half-hearted glared him, though there was no heat behind it.

"Whadda you want, dumbass." He asked crossly, barely able to get the words out between sharp, shaky breaths. If Hinata didn't know any better, he would've guessed his setter had just finished running a marathon or something, not played five sets of volleyball, which, in Hinata's mind, wasn't very many at all.

"Are you seriously that tired?"

Kageyama just stared at Hinata with an unreadable expression plastered on his face. Was he serious? Did he seriously just ask if he was that tired? How the hell was his partner still upright? What he even human?

Hinata lowered his voice. 'Well? Are yo-ow!" He rubbed the top of his head gingerly, glaring at his fellow first-year, who shrugged unapologetically at the wack he had just delivered to the back of his teammate's head. "What was that for?!"

"You're stupid," Kageyama grumbled, turning away from the ginger. "Now please let me go five seconds without your annoying self talking my ear off, or else I am going to lose it."

Hinata merely stuck his tongue out at the setter. "You're no fun."

Kageyama didn't even spare him a glance. "Good."

"This makes it 68-67, you know." He paused. "I'm winning."

"I seriously couldn't care less right now."

"You're mean, Bakayama."

"I'm aware, dumbass." He turned his head slightly to the side to glare at Hinata, much to the amusement of said boy. Ah, there it was. A reaction. "Now stop talking, or I will end you."

Hinata, never one to listen to Kageyama in the first place, offered a sickeningly sweet toothy smile. "Would you dare hurt little old me?" He fluttered his eyelashes for mockingly up at his teammate, who at this point was getting very fed up with the entire situation, much to the amusement of the spectators watching this exchange.

Kageyama merely sniffed in distaste before shooting his arm out to grab Hinata's ginger locks. Before the orangette could react, he started pulling mercilessly on them, not hard enough to actually hurt him, of course, but it was still uncomfortable. Hinata rewarded him with a series of undignified shrieks and yells as he furiously clawed at the taller man's arm in an attempt to get him to let go, to which Kageyama replied to with a smirk and a shake of his head. It wasn't until Daichi glared at the raven-haired boy that he finally lessened his grip, much to the relief of Hinata and his scalp, which at this point was practically screaming from the pressure.

"Geez," Hinata muttered, crossing his arms and slumping back against the bench with a half-hearted scowl. "Love you too, Bakayama."

"Kageyama reflexively flipped him off before taking another casual swig of water. Tsukishima stifled a laugh.

"Okay you two, knock it off," Daichi smirked at his two underclassmen before turning to Nekoma, who was merely watching the scene with varying amounts of amusement. "It's getting late. I think we better head off."

Kuroo nodded, lifting his tired eyes from the two bickering Karasuno members to the windows at the top of the gym. "Yeah, that'd be for the best. It's almost dark out." He offered a small smile, which at the moment was all he could give. "Thank you for the game."

"Thank you for the game." Karasuno chorused back. Though it sounded ridiculously ingenuine, Kuroo couldn't blame them in the slightest. The two teams could barely stand up, let alone put in a reasonable amount of enthusiasm into their words. Hinata's chirpy voice was the only source of liveliness in the otherwise exhausted orange and black volleyball team, but only further proved Kuroo's theory.

Suga, who already had all of his things gathered together since he hadn't been playing the last set, rose from his position on the bench to open the gym doors while the rest of his team struggled to muster to effort to get all of their belongings together. He placed a hand on the doorknob and pushed.

Nothing.

Suga frowned. He could've sworn the last time they had come to Nekoma for a practice match he had had to push the door open. He shrugged, writing it off as a mistake. After all, he himself could barely function after five rigorous sets, even though he hadn't been a part of all of them. Turning the doorknob once again, he pulled with the same amount of force.

Nothing.

That's when Suga came to a horrible realization.

"Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?" It was Tanaka who answered.

"The door's locked."

Silence filled the gym as all heads turned toward the grey-haired setter, who in turn, gestured weakly toward the doors he had just tried to open.

"What?" Yaku asked finally, raising a tired eyebrow. "What do you mean it's locked?"

"I mean what I said," Suga replied, unapologetically blunt. "It's. Locked."

"It shouldn't be." Kenma's voice was quiet, but the confusion in it was evident. "The custodians knew we had practice." He paused. "Right?"

Kai nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. Lev let them know on Thursday that we would lock up on Sunday night." His gaze swiveled onto Suga, who was standing defiantly by the door, arms crossed and glaring at it like it had personally offended him. "You're probably just not pushing hard enough."

Lev gave a whooping cough and raised a meek hand. "Yeah. Um. Okay, so about that-"

"Ohmygod Lev, you absolute failure." Yaku deadpanned, sending the spiker a murderous scowl. Usually, the glare would be paired with a harsh kick or two, but the libero was too worn out to deliver anything more than a light punch to his teammate at the moment. That didn't mean he wasn't going to get an earful later, though.

"It's not my fault!" Lev smiled sheepishly. "I just forgot!"

"You're a disappointment."

The first year glared at Yaku. "Seriously! It wasn't my fault." His eyes widened in sudden realization. "You kept me late after practice Thursday to practice receives!"

Yaku raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Yeah. Because you suck."

Lev waved the comment off. "No, this is your fault!" He pointed accusingly at the libero. "I didn't have time to tell the custodians!"

"Okay, you two. Enough." Inuoka, ever the peacemaker, held up two hands to signal surrender. "Chill out."

"So what?" Hinata piped up, cocking his head to the side in curiosity. He vaguely resembled a puppy, though no one was going to tell him that. "Are we stuck here?"

Kuroo groaned and rubbed his face in his hands. God, his beautiful hair was going be to be grey by the time he was twenty-five at this rate. "Yeah. Guess so."

Hinata frowned. "Don't you guys have your phones?" He scratched his nose. "We had to leave ours on the bus."

Inuoka shook his head. "We have them, but calling or texting doesn't work. The school blocks any cell signal from any student's phone because one stupid kid decided to call someone while during a test." The rest of Nekoma nodded, all aware of their school's unnecessarily strict policies.

"That seems pretty shitty," Nishinoya commented, flopping down on his back to stare at the ceiling. "So we're stuck here?"

"Seems like it." Inuoka put a finger to his lips. "At least until tomorrow morning."

Yamaguchi raised a shaky hand. "Wouldn't they have heard us practicing, though?" He smiled nervously at all the eyes on him, never one to actively seek out attention from people he didn't know all that well. "We were pretty loud."

"Yeah, that's the point." Kenma stated, sensing Yamaguchi's discomfort. "Soundproof walls. The school installed them after we received a few too many noise complaints."

Tsukishima sniffed and pushed up his glasses with one finger. While spending the night in a foreign gym with his teammates and Nekoma didn't really appeal to him, it wasn't the weirdest thing he'd done with his volleyball team by far. "The people on your school board kind of sound like total control freaks."

Kuroo snorted. "They totally are Tsuki-dude." His smile fell as he gestured to the gym around them. "Never thought their decisions would get us into something like this, though."

xxx

For about the first two hours, the teams stayed on their opposite ends of the court, talking amongst themselves about school and who knows what. Everyone had been wholly rested now, and the fatigue that had once plagued their bodies was replaced with itching boredom. The two teams soon merged though, courtesy of Hinata and Kenma, when the latter had plopped down right next to the ginger and had refused to leave until everyone else had joined them.

They soon positioned themselves in somewhat of a circle. Lev and Yaku were strategically placed as far away from each other as possible, the latter having Kai and Nishinoya sitting next to him while the grey-haired spiker had Kuroo and Tanaka on either side. Hinata was sandwiched between Kenma and Kageyama, both of whom had refused to move, Kenma because he hadn't seen Shouyou for the last two weeks and Kageyama because he was simply too lazy to get up, so the two teams had formed their circle according to their positions.

Currently, Yaku and Nishinoya were chatting up a storm in some weird libero language that no one else understood, while on the other side of the cluster Lev and Tanaka were arguing about who knows what. Kuroo on Tsukishima's right and Yamaguchi on Tsukishima's left kept poking the irritated middle blocker's cheeks, seeing if they could get a reaction out of him, much to the amusement of Asahi, who was watching the scene intently. Daichi, Suga, and Inuoka were having a hushed conversation of their own while Hinata and Kageyama exchanged their usual insults and banter. On Hinata's other side, Kenma was twirling his friend's curls between his fingers with practiced ease while he scrolled leisurely through the internet with his free hand.

Hours passed, and everyone was getting more bored by the second. They had tried playing volleyball for a while after about the fourth hour, but they soon discovered that while they weren't exactly tired anymore, their legs still felt like jelly.

Around the sixth hour, though, the remaining members of Nekoma not exposed to the ginger's charm had each respectively gotten a proper look at one of Hinata's sunshine smiles.

xxx

Yaku was the first. Hinata had said something or other to Kenma about needing help with receives, which the pudding haired setter had responded to by saying that Yaku himself had helped Kenma improve on his, which was all fuel Hinata needed to start ranting about how amazingly cool Nekoma's libero was. Yaku had turned Hinata's way after hearing his name, obviously curious as to what they had been talking about. Seeing him notice, Hinata smiled so brightly that the libero barely had time to recover before the ginger was all up on him, eyes sparkling and gushing about how crazy good he was.

Yaku was still for a few seconds after Hinata's rain of praise stopped, eyes wide and mouth open. The ginger smiled one last time, causing the brunette snapped back to attention and tackle the middle blocker in a hug while promising him multiple times that he could help him work on receives any day. That had then promoted an angry response from Nishinoya who claimed that Shouyou was HIS teammate and HIS underclassman and Yaku better not touch him because HE was going to teach Hinata receives.

That lead to a ten-minute wrestling match, a shocked Karasuno, who had no idea what their teammate had just done to make the notoriously temperamental libero of Nekoma wrestle Nishinoya over a chance to teach him receives, and an equally confused Nekoma. Kuroo bit back a grin. Well, better to get his team exposed now rather than later.

xxx

Yamamoto was the next to fall victim to Hinata's charm. It was his fault, really. Hinata had moved positions in the circle and was now talking excitedly to a smiling Yamaguchi about how cool all the aces from each team were.

Yamamoto, overhearing, teasing pointed to himself and asked, "What about me? Am I cool?"

He had expected just a simple head nod or a polite smile; after all, he had only been joking. What he didn't expect was for Hinata to turn to him with a delighted beam on his face, look at him like he hung the stars in the sky, and go on a five-minute rant about his skills and the things Hinata wished he could do that Yamamoto could and a full in-depth analysis about how fantastic he was.

All poor Yamamoto would do was choke back and sob and clutch his hand to his chest, feeling like he was going to explode with the overwhelming joy he felt at that very moment. The only thing stopping him from whisking the little ginger away from Karasuno and never giving him back was Yamaguchi's positively murderous expression, an expression utterly foreign to the pinch server's soft features, as he slung an arm around his friend's shoulders and pulled him back to his side, prompting him to keep talking while shooing the Nekoma player away with one hand.

It might've been for the best, though. Yamamoto didn't know if he could take one of those smiles directed straight at his face again without turning to putty on the ground. It was almost as if the ginger had read his mind. He knew exactly what to say and made sure to hit all of Yamamoto's sweet spots, find all the chinks in his armor, successfully chipping it away and worming his way into the ace's heart in a matter of minutes.

Yamamoto's gaze slide over to Kenma. It was a miracle his setter was still able to form proper sentences with all the beams Hinata directed at him every time they were together.

xxx

Kai was a different situation altogether. After seeing two of his teammates go berserk over the ginger, he had decided to talk with the ridiculously fast middle blocker himself to see what had made his libero and ace go so crazy over him. Kuroo just watched his vice-captain with mild amusement.

Hinata had smiled at him halfway through their conversation, causing the wing spiker to freeze on the spot. Hinata continued with his chatter, not even noticing the stunned look that had passed over the very person he was talking to.

It was comical, really, and Lev had to physically stifle a laugh.

With all of his team thoroughly exposed to Hinata's charisma, Kuroo could finally lay back and relax. He had been watching each interaction carefully, excited to see his various teammate's reactions to the sunshine child everyone adored so much known as Hinata Shouyou.

xxx

"Dude, this is so boring." Tanaka groaned after the eighth hour, throwing his head back dramatically. "Nothing is happening." Conversations between the players had long ceased, and everyone was doing their part to get comfortable on the hardwood floor, still slick with their sweat.

"I agree." Asahi raised his hand. He stole a glance at the clock. "It's nearly four in the morning, and no one's asleep."

Kageyama snorted. "I don't know how anyone could sleep in this gym, no matter how tired they are." His statement was met with quiet murmurs of agreement. "What time will the gym be unlocked?"

"I dunno. Somewhere around nine." Kuroo answered with a yawn. He wasn't particularly tired, crazy as it may seem, but he was getting fed up with this situation. They were too sore to play volleyball, but volleyball was the only thing there was to do. Of course, Hinata could always play on his own, but knowing the ginger Kuroo figured that that idea would be abandoned in less than five minutes.

Tsukishima held his head in his hands. "God, why so late? It's a school day for crying out loud." The middle blocker was getting really annoyed at their current predicament, that much was painfully clear. "We need something to do."

"Agreed," Nishinoya mumbled. He had been pulling on his dyed piece of hair for the last hour, and he was desperate for any kind of action at all. "What should we do?"

Lev shrugged and forced himself into a sitting position. "We could tell embarrassing stories." He suggested. He wasn't in the mood for a game like truth or dare or something because, you know, that would involve actual movement, and he suspected that the rest of his teammates and fellow volleyball players agreed with him. "Or show embarrassing pictures."

Kuroo perked up almost instantly. Holy crap, he couldn't believe he had nearly forgotten about those. He smirked slyly, wide awake now. This would be the perfect distraction. "Oh, I have some fantastic embarrassing pictures on my phone."

"Really?" Daichi's interest was piqued, as was everyone else's. On any typical day, the mere prospect of Kuroo having embarrassing photos on his phone wouldn't have seemed so exciting, but they were over twenty bored teenagers with nothing to do at four in the morning, and it was most definitely not a typical day.

Kuroo nodded, the smirk on his face getting even more prominent. "Oh yeah. I think they'll interest both teams."

"Oh yeah?" Kageyama propped himself up on his elbows so he could see the Nekoma captain. "What are they?"

"Hinata and Kenma cuddling."

Many things happened all at once at that moment. Hinata audibly choked and whipped around to stare at Kuroo while Kenma exploded into a coughing fit, his breath having gotten caught in his throat at his childhood friend's statement. Tanaka, Lev, and Nishinoya all burst out into hysterical laughter while the rest of the players scrambled up to Kuroo, confusion and curiosity etched clearly on their faces.

"KUROO WHAT THE HECK?!" Hinata, having finally regained his voice, whirled around on his upperclassman. It wasn't like he was embarrassed about it or anything. Kenma was one of his best friends, and it had become practically instinct by now. Neither of them meant anything by it, obviously. They both would rather chop off their dominant hands than even consider the possibility of romantic feelings toward each other. It was just gross.

Kuroo grinned, eyes twinkling mischievously. "I got a whole album." He was immediately met with demands to see the pictures, to which he eagerly complied. Curious, but still fuming, Kenma grabbed Hinata by the elbow and dragged him over to look at whatever Kuroo was about to show their teammates.

Kuroo wasn't lying. He did, in fact, have a whole album dedicated to pictures of Hinata and Kenma cuddling in some way, shape, or form. It was filled with over forty pictures in total, and at each one, the two small volleyball players grew more and more flustered.

"You guys look so cute!" Suga exclaimed, who in Hinata's opinion, was enjoying this way too much. The particular picture he was looking at was Kenma asleep on the couch with his hands locked around Hinata's back, who in turn, was directly on top of him, also asleep. "You have to send all of these to me!"

Choruses of agreement immediately filled the gym, much to the embarrassment of the resident ball of sunshine and videogame addict.

"Kuroo, how did you even get these?"

Kuroo flashed a toothy grin. "Whatever do you mean, my dear Kenma?" He cocked his brow in feigned innocence.

"Exactly how many times have you broken into my house to get these?" Kenma's voice was flat. "Seriously, Kuroo."

Kuroo fluttered his eyes dopily. "Come on, Ken! I couldn't resist! I mean, look at you two!" His finger swiped to the left to reveal another picture, this time with Hinata curled up onto himself and Kenma's head lazily buried in the crook of his neck. Wii controllers, gaming consoles, and DVD's surrounded the sleeping pair. Everyone on either team, including Kageyama and Tsukishima, had to admit that the two volleyball players looked adorably cute and peaceful.

Pure bliss and calmness had been written all over their faces in every single photo without fail. Hinata and Kenma were notorious for having cutesy baby faces, Hinata especially, but even with their hair thrown over each other's features, you could distinctly see Kenma's ridiculously long eyelashes and Hinata's light brown freckles peppered across his cheeks. These were features you wouldn't usually have the opportunity to see on the two players, given that Kenma had literally mastered the art of keeping his eyes open for long periods because of his video games and Hinata was rarely still enough to where you could see the speckles on his cheeks without them being just a faint blur.

"I thought you didn't like being touched?" Yaku glared at Kenma accusingly, though there was no real heat behind it. After all, how could someone be mad after seeing one of the cutest things in all of existence? These photos weren't embarrassing at all, though Kenma and Hinata seemed to think they were.

"I don't mind it with Shou." The blush was spreading furiously across Kenma's cheeks. "I've spent so much time with him, and he's so naturally affectionate that it's become instinct at this point."

"Yeah!" Yamaguchi piped up, tearing his eyes away from the pictures to look at the duo. "I noticed you playing with Hinata's hair earlier when he and Kageyama were talking."

Kuroo chuckled, signaling to Kenma that he would handle this one, much to the setter's relief. He never was good at talking to people. "Yeah, Kenma does that a lot. I think it's become a habit of his." He directed his gaze to Hinata. "It's a good stress reliever for him, I think."

"So you two are pretty close, huh." It was Tsukishima this time, who was frowning at the photos in front of him but was ultimately betrayed by the foreign fondness in his eyes.

Hinata nodded enthusiastically, flashing the biggest, most cheerful smile any of the players had ever seen, before leaping toward Kenma and tackling the setter in a hug, sending both of them sprawling to the floor in laughter, much to the surprise of Nekoma, who had never heard Kenma laugh before in their lives, but hey. Hinata could get people to do so some crazy things.

That action alone was all the answer anyone needed.

Once Hinata and Kenma were out of earshot, Kuroo promised everyone that he would send them the photos by text the next morning once they all got out of there. Surprisingly, everyone wanted at least one of the forty photos Kuroo had shown them, including Tsukishima and Kageyama. Whether it was for blackmail material or simply because it was just so damn cute and innocent, no one will ever know.

Suga asked for all forty. He wanted to make a photo album.

God, they were all so totally whipped for Hinata.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it!


	11. Confrontations and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi and Oikawa show up mysteriously at the Karasuno gym and leave just as quickly. After finding out their precious ginger teammate left with them, Karasuno decides to follow the trio and takes something they said out of context, resulting in a very confused Hinata and a very distressed flock of crows.
> 
> COMMENTS APPRECIATED I LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU FOR BEING SO PATIENT AND SUPPORTING THIS STORY <3

Hinata was panicking.

On the inside, of course. On the outside, all he could do was hang his head in shame and keep his eyes trained to the floor, mirroring the rest of his unfortunate teammates as Daichi proceeded to scream in all of their faces, even Suga, which was rare.

He must've done something wrong in a previous life because Hinata's day had been going south ever since he stepped out of his door that morning. It had rained while he was walking to school, which had resulted in a sopping wet ginger being late for volleyball practice lots of teasing from Kageyama and Tsukishima but had ultimately ended with a worried Daichi and Suga fawning over him all practice. Hinata scoffed to himself, making sure it was quiet enough so he didn't piss his captain off even more than he already was. He would take smother hen Daichi over a furious one any day.

He had failed an English test that morning as well, and when lunchtime came, he had made the unfortunate discovery that he had either left his bento box at his house or had dropped it in the haste to get out of the rain.

Either way, he had nothing to eat.

His lousy day had only gotten worse when something had set Daichi off. The cause of his sudden anger could've ranged from Hinata and Kageyama's endless bickering to Tanaka vandalizing the boys' locker room. Still, the bottom line was that no one knew what they were being scolded for. Hinata couldn't really find it in himself to care at the moment, however, because Daichi's endless scolding had prolonged volleyball practice by thirty minutes.

Kiyoko, Coach Ukai, Yachi, and Takeda were long gone, sending one last regretful look over their shoulders before scurrying out of the gym, none of them wanting to be subjected to Daichi's wrath if they could avoid it.

Still. It had been thirty minutes, and Daichi still hadn't let up. Hinata took a peek at the clock, grimacing at the time. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

Usually, the energetic ginger would jump at any chance to stay in his beloved gym. While getting yelled at by his captain wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, Hinata didn't mind as long as he was surrounded by volleyballs, nets, and his friends, even if they were getting yelled at with him.

But today was different.

Hinata's finger twitched. His position was getting uncomfortable, but he knew if he lifted his head, it would only set Daichi off further. He had never been good at standing still and every part of his body was practically screaming at him to get out of the gym, run away before his team caught a glimpse of the very thing he didn't want them to see.

Or, in his case, the very _people_ he didn't want them to see.

Hinata bit his lip and snuck another glance at the clock, fighting the urge to scream. It was now 5:33, precisely two minutes before two certain somebodies were supposed to pick him up from volleyball practice.

The very same volleyball practice was supposed to have ended thirty long minutes ago.

Hinata had been excited to see them at first, but now he was just downright scared.

The ginger kept his eyes trained on the clock, blood pumping in his ears as Daichi's rant became nothing but background noise. One minute to go. Oh god, what would his team think? They would undoubtedly have a lot of questions, not to mention Kageyama would be mortified by the fact that the person he hated most was picking his spiker up from school.

Hinata pursed his lips in anticipation. The suspense was killing him. He fought the urge to sigh and focused his energy on soothing his jumpy nerves. He thought he had everything so planned out and perfect too! Volleyball practice would end on time, as it usually did, he and Kageyama would practice for about fifteen minutes after, as they usually did, Kageyama would leave, as he usually did, and Hinata would have just enough time to pack up his things and get picked up by two of his very close friends without anyone on his volleyball team ever knowing!

Hinata rolled his eyes, his bangs concealing his annoyance. Apparently, the universe hated him, because absolutely nothing was going right today. His honey-brown orbs widened comically as the clock struck 5:35. Oh god, he was so screwed.

As if on cue, the double doors to the gym swung open to reveal two tall, good looking, and very recognizable volleyball players.

"Hey! We gotta-oh." Oikawa froze as the head of every single Karasuno member swiveled toward him. "Hello."

Hinata fought the urge to facepalm. Dammit Oikawa, why couldn't you be late for once in your life?

Daichi's yelling ceased immediately, his murderous expression morphing into one of surprise that quickly turned into suspicion. "Oikawa?" His eyes flitted to the other man, who was currently staring at the volleyball players before him with a guilty expression. "Iwaizumi?"

"Hey." The latter ran a casual hand through his hair, subtly scanning the crowd of volleyball players until he locked eyes with Hinata before raising a questioning eyebrow. Hinata grimaced and put a hand up in apology, this exchange luckily going unnoticed by his teammates, who were all busy staring at the two Aobajohsai players in front of them.

Tanaka was the first to pick his jaw up off the floor. "What the _hell_ are you guys doing here?" His blatant hatred for Oikawa bled into his words, causing Hinata to send a slightly disproving glare toward his upperclassman.

"Yeah!" Nishinoya bounded to Tanaka's side. "This is private property! You can't be here!" He turned to Asahi. "It is private property, right?" Asahi sighed and nodded, the gesture making Nishinoya's face split into a triumphant grin.

Iwaizumi put his hands up in surrender. He just looked so utterly done with the situation that Hinata had to put a hand over his mouth to cover a smile. "Look. We don't want any trouble." He said flatly, regarding the team before him with wary eyes.

"Yeah!" Oikawa flashed a dazzling grin and a peace sign, his overly cheerful voice echoing through the gym. "No need to be so hostile."

"You didn't answer our question." Kageyama crossed his arms, refusing to meet the eyes of either of his former teammates. "What are you doing here."

Iwaizumi and Oikawa looked helplessly at one another, neither knowing exactly what to do. They were Hinata's only way home, which was the reason he had walked instead of biked to school in the first place, and they had been planning this day for a while in advance. However, neither of the Aobajohsai players were comfortable with telling the obviously angry team their plans with the ginger if he didn't want them to, so they settled for the next best thing.

Stalling.

Oikawa stole one last glance at Iwaizumi before wagging his finger in front of Tanaka's face dramatically, making the spiker practically vibrant with anger. "I could ask you guys the same thing."

Tsukishima wrinkled his nose in distaste as he regarded the setter with a cold stare. "It's our school."

"But it's nearly forty minutes after practice was supposed to be over."

"But it's still our school, and...wait, how do you know that?"

Hinata winced, and Iwaizumi pinched his childhood friend's arm roughly. That slip up was going to be pretty hard to explain, and all three of them knew it. Still, all were determined to keep their friendship a secret from Hinata's admittedly overprotective team, Hinata because he knew Kageyama hated them (though he couldn't understand why) and the Aobajohsai players because they knew if Karasuno found out then the chances of them getting a moment alone with the ginger they had grown so fond of decreased dramatically.

As far as the three knew, Karasuno thought they were mere acquaintances at best, and they intended to keep it that way.

"Uh. Lucky guess?" Oikawa gave a weak shrug and scratched the back of his neck, fully aware of how stupid his excuse sounded.

"Why are you here." Suga's voice was cold and demanding as he crossed his arms. It was a statement, not a question. That much was clear.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and took Oikawa by the arm, not even attempting to be careful. Hinata was pretty sure he elbowed his best friend on purpose just to get back at him for his obvious slip-up. "Nothing. We were just leaving."

"Iwa!" Oikawa squawked in protest, "What are you-we have to-" He clamped his mouth shut as Iwaizumi fixed him with a hard stare. Hinata watched in wonder as a silent conversation seemed to be had between the two men, both of them understanding perfectly what the other was saying.

"We're. Leaving."

Oikawa stopped his struggle against Iwaizumi's grip and allowed himself to be lead outside, casting one last warning glance to the ginger before the double doors swung shut. Hinata peeked at his team out of the corner of his eye, feeling himself relax a bit, as it seemed they had assumed the setter had been looking at all of them.

"Well, that was...weird." Asahi was still looking toward the doors, brow furrowed and head cocked. "What was that all about?"

"Dunno." All the anger that had resided in Daichi only minutes before had disappeared, leaving only a very confused volleyball captain.

"I bet I scared them off!" Tanaka puffed out his chest proudly. Tsukishima had to physically restrain himself so he didn't facepalm. "The fella may have all the ladies, but he doesn't have any brawn like a real man!" He smirked, nodding in self-satisfaction. Nishinoya's triumphant smile had only widened after the Aobajohsai members had exited the gym, and Hinata suspected that the libero thought he had something to do with their sudden absence as well.

Hinata smiled to himself before turning away from the doors to face Daichi. He offered an apologetic smile and jammed a thumb behind him. "Uh, I know you were in the middle of yelling at us, but could I get going?" As the captain directed his gaze down to Hinata, the ginger took the opportunity to flash a blinding grin his way, always thrilled to have the captain paying attention to him. "I walked to school today instead of biking, so I need to go, or else I won't get back home before it gets dark!"

"Uh. Sure." Hinata could've sworn that Daichi looked a little choked up, eyes trained on his excited smile. The captain blinked after a moment and shook his head as if trying to clear it before stealing a glance at the clock. "Oh. I guess it is pretty late, huh."

"Thanks, Daichi!" Though it wasn't a clear answer, it was all Hinata needed to gather up his belongings, wrap the captain in a quick, surprise hug, and sprint out of the gym like his life depended on it.

"Huh." The was all Suga could say as he uncrossed his arms and stared at the spot the ginger had been only moments before. "He sure is eager."

"Why the hell would that dumbass walk to school instead of bike?" Kageyama crossed his arms in annoyance, seemingly displeased by his friend's stupidness. Daichi just waved his comment off, his eyes glazed over and expression one of pure bliss. Kageyama resisted the urge to groan. It was probably only because he had gotten a hug from Hinata. Ugh. Stupid Hinata and his incredible hugs.

"Uh," Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow. "Hinata left his water bottle."

"Of course he did." Tsukishima and Kageyama grumbled in unison, shooting each other death glares after the fact.

Nishinoya, who jumped at every chance he could get to make his precious underclassman smile, practically leaped from his position beside Tanaka to where Yamaguchi was holding Hinata's waterbottle about fifteen feet away, making the poor freckled boy yelp in surprise and back into Tsukishima.

"I'll take it to him!" The overexcited libero snatched the bottle from Yamaguchi's hands before bounding over to the swinging doors, humming a strange theme song none of them had ever heard before. "If he's walking, he probably hasn't even exited the parking lot yet!" Nishinoya pointed a proud finger to his chest and grinned. "I got this, guys, don't worry! I will return this bottle to Shouyou if it's the last thing I do!" With a final salute to Tanaka and a screeching battle cry, the second year promptly exited the building by kicking open the doors and running through them like a maniac, cheering all the way.

"What's with him?" Tsukishima asked bluntly, watching the double doors swing closed. "It's literally just Shrimpy's water bottle."

Tanaka glared at the middle blocker before wiping a non-existent tear from his eye. "Such a brave soldier."

Not even a moment later, Nishinoya burst back through the doors, face red and eyes wide.

Asahi blinked. "Woah. That was fast."

"Yeah. No kidding." Daichi furrowed his brow. "Like five seconds."

Nishinoya rolled his eyes and threw Hinata's water bottle on the ground, much to the surprise of his teammates, who looked from the discarded water bottle to the distressed libero.

"What's wrong?" Suga questioned after a beat of silence. His eyes narrowed. "Where's Hinata?"

Nishinoya pointed wildly towards the doors, all thoughts of returning the water bottle to his beloved underclassman forgotten. "He hasn't even made it to the parking lot yet!" He whisper shouted, eyes darting around the gym as if he suspected something would pop up at him. "He's around the corner, by the vending machine!"

"So?" Kageyama crossed his arms. "That dumbass is getting a snack, big deal. He didn't have any lunch today anyway. He's probably hungry." He punctuated this last statement with an annoyed huff, rolling his eyes at his partner's stupidity.

"What? He didn't have lunch!" Suga turned to glare at Kageyama. "Why didn't you tell me! I had extra!" He gave his fellow setter a pointed look, causing the younger to shrink back. "He shouldn't be playing volleyball on an empty stomach! Seriously, he could faint or get dizzy or-"

"Ohmygod Suga, stop being such a mom!" Nishinoya flexed his hand carefully. "Hinata's your precious angel child and you must protect him from all danger and harm blah blah blah now WOULD YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO ME?!"

All noise ceased instantly at Nishinoya's words. If it was bad enough that the libero had risked the wrath of Koushi Sugawara of all people, then he had to be seriously concerned about something. It seemed like the grey-haired setter had come to the same conclusion as his team, crossing his arms and tilting his chin up slightly toward his underclassman to indicate that he was listening.

Nishinoya smiled in relief, opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. His team watched this internal debate with mild curiosity, knowing something was probably wrong, but then again, the libero did tend to exaggerate things. Whatever struggle Nishinoya had been facing seemed to have been resolved as he beckoned to everyone with one finger, serious as ever.

"It's better if I show you."

Without another word, the libero ran through the double doors for the second time in two minutes, his team falling into step behind him. They turned the corner and froze.

"See!" Nishinoya gestured vigorously at the sight before them, keeping his voice down so it didn't carry. "See see see!"

Hinata had moved from his previous position in front of the vending machine and was now walking up the pathway towards the parking lot. The only problem was, he wasn't alone. He was flanked on either side by two disgustingly familiar people, the sight of which made Kageyama swear. Iwaizumi was positioned to the right of their resident ginger while Oikawa to the left.

"The hell..?" Ennoshita muttered, as confused by this development as everyone else.

Kageyama glared at the back of his two previous mentor's heads. "I swear to god if they're doing anything to him I-"

Yamaguchi put a calming hand on the setter's shoulder to prevent him from revealing their presence and socking someone in the face without a good reason. To be fair, Yamaguchi thought that getting Hinata away from dangerously strong rival volleyball players that could potentially crush his friend between their thumb and pointer fingers was a fantastic reason, just not one the court would approve of if Kageyama was charged with homicide.

"Just watch." That was all they could do for now, and they knew it.

Asahi nodded, an unfamiliar ominous look passing over his usually gentle features. "The second they make a move on him, that's when we'll beat them to a pulp."

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses, already fed up with this situation. "Guys, it just looks like they're having fun." He crossed his arms in annoyance. "He probably flashed one of those stupidly lovable grins in their faces and now they're best friends or something."

Suga poked Tsukishima in the cheek, retracting his hand before the blond could swat it away. "Did you just call Hinata lovable?"

"Well, duh. I'm not an idiot." Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. "You gonna tell me I'm wrong?"

Suga just shrugged and returned his gaze to the scene playing out in front of them. "Nope. You're totally right."

Upon closer inspection, the members of Karasuno could see that Hinata was, in fact, laughing with the two most recognizable faces of Aobajohsai. Though they were too far away to hear the words exchanged between Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Hinata, the bubbly laughter emanating from the three could be heard faintly by the lurking team.

"What if they're luring him into a false sense of security before sweeping him off his feet and encouraging him to quit volleyball or join their team or something?"

"TANAKA!" Daichi hissed, whirling around to face the second year. "WHY MUST YOU BE SUCH A PESSIMIST WHEN LITERALLY ANYTHING INVOLVES HINATA!"

If Tanaka was at all fazed by Daichi's quiet outburst, he didn't show it. "All I'm sayin' is that that kid is definitely going to get kidnapped someday." He thought for a moment. "Or run over by a bus."

" _Jesus_ Tanaka." Asahi muttered, his face going strangely pale. "Where the hell did these ideas come from?"

"Shorty's too perfect." He shrugged as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. "There's no way the universe doesn't do something terrible to him sooner or later."

"You mean more terrible then his _dad_ dying?" Tsukishima deadpanned, boring holes in the back of his upperclassman's head.

Tanaka flipped him off without wasting a second. "Yes. Other than that."

"You make it sound like you want it to happen," Nishinoya muttered, scowling accusingly at his fellow second year.

Tanaka shook his head solemnly. "Nah, man. That's why I must always assume the worse." A maniacal grin suddenly took its place on Tanaka's face. "It's so I know whos head to rip off once it does."

"Aw _hell yeah!_ That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"Thanks, Noya!"

"Can I help?!"

"Of course! We can murder whoever hurts Shortypants together!" He pumped his fists in a silent battle cry, not wanting to alert the very people they were trying to hide from of their presence.

Suga rolled his eyes at his underclassman, waving a hand in the air in a gesture of silence, to which everyone complied immediately. Nishinoya had already tested Suga's patience once that day, and no one wanted to see if it would hold. "We're following them, right?"

"Oh yeah, totally."

"One hundred percent."

"Was that not what we originally planned to do?"

"Duh."

"I need to be there in case a certain pretty boy needs to be beaten up!"

"I'm kinda curious."

"For sure."

"Uh, guys? They're gone."

All eyes turned to Ennoshita, who was pointing to the now empty pavement in front of them.

"Shit!" Kageyama sprang up from his crouching position and broke into a run towards the direction of the parking lot. Exchanging determined glances and helpless shrugs, the rest of the team quickly followed.

xxx

It didn't take long for the panicked volleyball players to catch up to the unlikely trio, given that the parking lot was only a few hundred meters away. Karasuno quietly obscured themselves in a particularly thick patch of bushes as they watched Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and Hinata exit the lot and start walking down the road together.

"How the hell are we going to follow him now?" Daichi asked in annoyance as they watched the trio get further and further away. "There's no way we can keep an eye on Hinata without them seeing us."

His teammates were silent for several seconds, each one musing over their predicament. They hadn't thought very far ahead about how exactly they were going to follow their energetic ginger teammate since they kind of decided to follow him on a whim, but no one intended to give up so easily, especially when it concerned their precious ball of sunshine hanging out with the two most skillful (and arguably most dangerous) Aobajohsai players.

"We trail them from a distance," Kageyama said finally, sitting back on his heels. "We follow them from afar and see where they go."

Asahi scratched the back of his head. "I dunno. How far are we talking?"

Nishinoya's eyes lit up. "So far that we can barely see them, but if they look back, we won't seem suspicious!" The libero grinned excitedly. "I love it."

We'll be just like spies!" Tanaka pumped his fists in the air, getting them scratched relentlessly by the numerous branches surrounding them in the process. His gaze slid over to Nishinoya, who nodded gravely.

"We've trained for this moment."

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "Of course you have." He wrinkled his nose. "If we're gonna do that, don't you think we should probably get going already?"

All eyes turned to the spot Hinata, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa had been moments before, only to discover that the trio was barely a speck in the distance as they walked farther and farther down the road.

"Can we go now?" Yamaguchi turned to Kageyama in question. The setter nodded solemnly, his face utterly serious.

"Yeah."

As if a switch had been flipped, all eleven volleyball players emerged from the bushes and started running toward the edge of the parking lot, scaring the wits out of a first-year girl in Kageyama's class who kept screaming about how "monsters had arisen from the depths of the foliage", which had prompted Nishinoya to start growing and chasing her around her parked car, which had resulted in Daichi chasing him and everyone else doubling over laughing.

By the time they finally got themselves situated, the very people they were trying to trail were barely visible in the distance. After many karate chops to the head from a very impatient Suga, the highschoolers finally set off to follow their first-year teammate.

The Karasuno players made sure to stay a respectable distance away from the trio just as Kageyama had suggested, making sure to keep them in their sights but not getting close enough so that they could see their faces.

"Where do you think they're going?" The crows had been walking in silence for about ten minutes before Yamaguchi spoke the question they had all been wondering but didn't know when to ask.

"No idea," Daichi answered, scratching his chin. "Anywhere, I guess."

"I'm tellin' you guys. They're totally kidnapping him."

"Tanaka, I highly doubt Hajime Iwaizumi and Tooru Oikawa would kidnap Hinata." Daichi went silent for a moment before turning to Kageyama. "Right?"

Kageyama simply shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on his partner and former teammates. "I dunno. Oikawa did try to punch me in the face one time when I was in middle school, though."

"WHAT?!" Suga nearly choked before spinning around to glare at his fellow setter. "AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL US THAT BEFORE WE LET THEM GO OFF WITH HINATA?!"

"I told you. They're gonna murder him."

"TANAKA!" Daichi flicked the second-year on the forehead before resuming his walk, sending death glares over his shoulder every once in a while. "Hinata's not going to be murdered."

"Yeah!" Nishinoya bounded up to Tanaka, a humongous smile plastered on his face. "Shouyou's gonna be fine! We're such wonderful upperclassman that we'll beat up anyone who so much as touches a single hair on his head!"

Asahi shuddered. It was weird to hear such a serious threat come out cheerfully and casually as if someone were describing the weather. "Calm down. The whole reason we're following Hinata in the first place is to make sure nothing bad happens to him."

"I'm telling you guys, you're overreacting." Tsukishima crossed his arms with a huff. "I doubt Shrimpy's going to get kidnapped, murdered, or otherwise." He sent a pointed stare Tanaka's way, who in turn, just shrugged the indirect insult off.

"Rather be safe than sorry, Tsuki-dude," Tanaka stated, sending a shameless grin over his shoulder. Tsukishima merely sniffed and looked away.

Ennoshita smirked slightly at his team's antics before narrowing his eyes. The only reason they had been able to keep track of the three volleyball players for so long was because Hinata's bright orange hair was a stark contrast to the browns and greys of the city around them, as well as Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

"Did they just go into that cafe?"

All conversation ceased as ten pairs of eyes turned to stare at Ennoshita, and then the trio in the distance. Sure enough, a faint mop of orange curls could be seen turning the corner and swinging open a door, still flanked on either side by Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

"Huh."

It wasn't entirely clear who had made that sound or whether it was in response to Ennoshita's observation or in confusion as to why the three volleyball players would go into a cafe. Still, it was all the response Karasuno needed to exchange wide-eyed glances and start sprinting down the road, abandoning all secrecy and stealth that they had had only moments before. Their first and only priority at that very moment was to get eyes back on Hinata, and since he was now in that quaint little restaurant, all they could do was get down there as fast as they could and pray that ginger didn't take any notice of eleven teenagers sprinting by.

"What the hell do we do now?" Tsukishima hissed as he joined his teammates off to the side of the little cafe. Never one to put in more effort than he had too, the blond blocker had taken to jogging down the road instead of tearing to the restaurant at top speed, which had resulted in ten very winded volleyball players and a mildly annoyed Tsukishima.

"Go...inside..." Kageyama panted, struggling to catch his breath. "We can...sit in..the booth seat...behind them."

Tsukishima peeked through the window of the cafe. Sure enough, Hinata, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa were all seated in the booth farthest away from the door, which was both convenient and inconvenient at the same time. On the one hand, the booth was big enough that it could sit almost all of their present team and tall enough that it would obscure any view of Karasuno from the trio they were trying to spy on. Plus, Tsukishima estimated that they would be able to hear the conversations going on between the three if they listened hard enough, given that the restaurant wasn't very full of chattering people.

On the other hand, though, since the booth was in the back of the restaurant, it would be harder for the Karasuno players to make it there without drawing any unwanted attention to themselves from their resident ball of sunshine. Everyone's duffles and changes of clothes were all back at the gym, so they had nothing to obscure their faces with or anything to use to change their appearances. It would be a hassle, but it was certainly doable, especially since Oikawa and Iwaizumi were sitting with their backs to the door and Hinata was a notorious chatterbox who probably wouldn't even spare a glance at anyone coming through the doors if he got deep enough into a conversation.

It seemed that Kageyama had reached the same conclusions because he beckoned everyone to come closer, eyes flitting around as if he were anticipating something. He silently motioned to the alleyway behind the cafe before darting off in its direction, effectively getting out of view from the window and motioning for his team to follow him.

"Okay, here's the plan." Kageyama's serious side was coming out, a side of the temperamental setter that everyone was afraid of to some degree. "We're going to go in in groups of three in five-minute intervals." He peeked around the corner to get one last glance inside before settling down and facing his team once more. "It looks like the booth was made for eight people, max, but I'm guessing we can fit nine since Noya's so freaking short."

"HEY!"

Tanaka snickered as Kageyama continued. "The problem is, two people are going to have to stay outside." He paused. "There are no other tables that obscure us from Hinata like the booth behind them, and we cant' squeeze everyone into one booth without making a racket and alerting them that we're here."

Everyone was silent for a few moments as they let this piece of information sink in. No one wanted to be left out of the mystery surrounding their energetic orange teammate and the two Aobajohsai players, but Kageyama made a good point. There was no way they were going to be able to watch over Hinata and figure out why exactly he was hanging out with them if they tried to squeeze everyone into one small booth, which would undoubtedly cause a lot of fuss.

"I'll stay behind," Narita said finally, followed by a nod from Kinoshita.

"I will too."

Relieved smiles graced the faces of the rest of Karasuno as they thanked their teammates warmly for stepping up. Though those two weren't as close to Hinata as the rest of them were, they were still fond of the ginger and adored everything about him. After Narita made them promise to tell them everything as soon as they exited the cafe, the rest of Karasuno put their plan into action.

xxx

After a substantial amount of bickering, it was decided that Kageyama, Asahi, and Nishinoya would enter the building first. After waiting for Nishinoya to give Tanaka a sharp salute, the three exited the alleyway and entered the cafe. As expected, Hinata didn't even look up from his conversation with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, much to everyone's relief. The first group had been strategically composed of the people Hinata would be most likely to notice. Kageyama, because they spent the most time together out of everyone in the team, Asahi because of his looming presence and height, and Nishinoya because of his distinguishable hair.

Five minutes after the first three were safe and seated, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Tanaka entered the cafe. Once again, Hinata didn't even spare them a glance. Putting Tanaka and Tsukishima in the same group had been a risky move since the two were prone to breaking out into fights with each other out of nowhere, but that was what Yamaguchi was for. The pinch server had a knack for calming Tsukishima down that not even Hinata could match, so he was there to act as the peacemaker between the two. Luckily, they reached the booth unnoticed and without incident.

Daichi, Suga, and Ennoshita were the last group to enter the restaurant, otherwise strategically known as the plains. Neither Daichi nor Ennoshita had any real distinguishing qualities. To be blunt, they were plain-looking. Other than Suga's grey hair, which he easily hid under the hood of the jacket he had been wearing when they first ran out of the gym, the three inconspicuously made their way to the booth where the rest of their team was waiting.

It was a tight fit with four people on each side, but as expected, Nishinoya was able to squeeze between Asahi and the wall. Everyone was practically shoulder to shoulder, but even though it was uncomfortable, no one minded all that much.

"What now?" Yamaguchi whispered, fully aware that if they talked too loud then they risked Hinata hearing them. "Do we just listen?"

Kageyama nodded from across the table and put a finger to his lips. Everyone immediately shut up and focused everything they had into hearing the conversation from the booth in front of them.

"Did you really get another confession?!" That was Hinata's voice, loud and clear as day. Everyone relaxed a bit at hearing it, still keeping their ears trained on the conversation at hand.

"Obviously, Shou," Karasuno stiffened at Oikawa's use of Hinata's first name. How did he even know it? They'd never seen each other outside of volleyball matches, right? Had he just begun using that nickname today? What exactly was Hinata and Oikawa's relationship? Countless thoughts spun through Kageyama's head as he struggled to shake them off so he could focus. "Confessions are practically an everyday occurrence for me!"

"Whatever you say, Shittykawa." That was clearly Iwaizumi. If the derogatory nickname wasn't enough indication, his deeper tone of voice was.

"Mean, Iwa!"

"No one cares, asshat."

"Don't curse in front of my precious Shouyou!"

Hinata giggled. It was still as bubbly and cheery as ever, much to his team's relief. "Oikawa, I've heard you curse plenty of times."

Karasuno exchanged glances. When had he become 'Oikawa' to Hinata and not 'The Grand King'? The relationship dynamic between the three was getting way too confusing for Karasuno's liking.

Oikawa scoffed. "I do not curse, thank you very much! I am a perfect gentleman!"

Karasuno could hear Hinata snort in disbelief and cross his arms. "You once cursed out Iwaizumi for 'hogging' me for thirty minutes to help me practice my spikes." His face split into a grin. "It was really, really vulgar."

The table erupted with laughter from Hinata and Iwaizumi, followed by angry squawking from the Aobajohsai setter, causing Karasuno to wince and cover their ears at the sudden noise, before looking bewilderedly at each other. Practice spikes? What were they talking about? Hinata only practiced with them and them alone. No way would he be thinking about practicing with an enemy team as nefarious as Seijoh, right?

"But I always curse at Iwa! That doesn't count!" The pout was evident in Oikawa's voice, thankfully much quieter than the booming laughter moments before. "It's not my fault I wanted to toss to you before you had to leave!"

Okay, that was weird. Toss to Hinata? Before he had to leave? What the hell was going on? Karasuno was at the edge of their seats, willing silently for the trio to continue with their conversation. The fierce protectiveness Karasuno had felt towards the ginger at the beginning of their journey was replaced with burning curiosity. They just had to know what was going on, for the sake of their sanity and Hinata's.

Whatever, Asskawa." Iwaizumi said, though there was no real heat behind the playful insult. "So, Hinata, you ready for Tuesday?"

"Of course I am!" Karasuno could hear the faint sounds of Hinata bouncing up and down in his seat. "I'm super duper excited!"

"Good." There was a faint smile playing at Iwaizumi's lips. "And remember, don't tell Karasuno about this."

The volleyball team in question exchanged worried glances as they waited for the next words from the trio. Something was off here, and no one liked it.

"I know!" Hinata's chirpy voice reached their ears, no problem. "Kageyama would be furious." He shuddered at the thought.

"They all would," Oikawa muttered, so soft that the eavesdropping volleyball team could barely pick it up. His voice brightened almost immediately. "Remember Shorty, Aobajohsai volleyball practice at 7:00 pm, don't be late!"

"I won't!"

Every member of Karasuno stiffened immediately, deeply disturbed by what they just heard. They had all reached the same conclusion, though no one wanted to say it out loud. It was impossible, right? There was no way. Something like this would never happen. Hinata loved Karasuno, right? He was going to nationals with them, for heaven's sake! But what if it wasn't enough...

The team sat there in the booth, unmoving and unspeaking until Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and Hinata left the cafe about ten minutes later. Thankfully for them, the trio didn't even spare a glance their way, but at that point, they didn't care if the ginger noticed them or not. They were too shell-shocked to care about much of anything right now.

"Is Hinata..." Yamaguchi's voice was quiet, timid, almost.

Kageyama had gone deathly pale. He swallowed thickly, preparing himself to say the words no one else wanted to.

"Hinata's leaving us for Aobajohsai."

xxx

Hinata may be naive, but he wasn't stupid. The tension in the gym the next day could practically be cut with a knife, and the fact that his teammates were giving him weird looks and pained glances wasn't helping. Had he done something wrong? Had something happened? Countless possibilities filtered through his head as to what could've happened to make his teammates this way.

The first indication something was wrong came the very moment he stepped into volleyball practice. Kageyama had rushed up to him, desperation evident in his eyes, and had practically dragged Hinata over to the net to throw some tosses to him, which had never happened before. Hinata always had to beg his setter for even a little acknowledgment most of the time.

The second indication was when he messed up horribly on a receive later on in practice. The ginger had reflexively tensed up, awaiting an onslaught of playful jeers and reprimands from Tsukishima or Daichi, but they never came. Neither said a word as they continued on with practice.

The final straw was Nishinoya. The only person in the gym who could hold a candle to Hinata's enthusiasm had been quiet all practice, no declarations of war, love, or victory crossing his lips at all. Instead, his face just looked downcast, eyes trained onto the floor, and only putting in what looked like half of his usual effort. It was tearing away at Hinata's heart, who was finding it much harder to be his usual happy self when the very people who made him happy looked so depressed and unmotivated.

"Alright, what's going on?" Hinata put his hands on his hips and glared at his surrounding teammates, making sure he spoke loud enough so all of them could hear. "You guys have been acting weird _all_ day, and I know there's something you're not telling me!"

The gym was silent save for the bouncing of one lone volleyball as Karasuno started at Hinata, unreadable expressions on their faces. They had been waiting for this conversation all practice, and now that it was finally here, they weren't sure how to approach the subject. It was common knowledge that Hinata was good at reading the room, and so far, the room had been dreary and depressed. They knew it wouldn't be long until he said something about it, for he was always one to speak his mind.

"Are you sure there's not something you're not telling us?" Tanaka abruptly ended the silence, though it was no more than a whisper. He kept his eyes trained to the floor, refusing to meet Hinata's. This just made the ginger even more uneasy. Had they found out about Aobajohsai after all? He didn't think they would be this mad about him being friends with some of the players, would they? He shook his head. Nah, there was no way they could've figured it out from Oikawa's slip up the day before. 

"Excuse me?" Hinata blinked because that was the only response he could come up with. How was he even supposed to reply to that?

"Look...Hinata..." Nishinoya wrung his hands out nervously. Hinata narrowed his eyes. His fantastic upperclassman was never nervous. Something must've really rattled him to get this way. "If you're unhappy with us, you know you can tell us, right?"

"Whadadddddddda-HUH?!" Hinata's jaw hit the floor. What the hell were they getting at?

"Yeah. Uh." Yamaguchi offered a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "If, you know, you think you could get something more somewhere else the, you know..." He trailed off, the words getting caught in his throat. All Hinata could do was stare. Where had they even gotten that idea?

"I mean..." Daichi ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "We know we give you a lot of crap, but none of us really mean it, and we really do think you're an amazing player and person and-"

"Don't go to Aobajohsai." Kageyama's words were desperate, almost pleading. He regarded Hinata with wild, unguarded eyes, eyes that were begging him to say something.

At this, all Hinata froze with a choked gasp. "Wha-"

Kageyama rambled on, his hurried words practically blurring together. "We saw you yesterday with Oikawa and Iwaizumi. At the cafe."

Suga nodded, his eyes unreadable, holding up a hand to cut Kageyama off. "We heard you are talking about Tuesday practice with Aobajohsai, and how Oikawa tosses to you and Iwaizumi's been teaching you how to spike better and..." He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. Hinata was frozen on the spot. He knew he should do something, he knew he should explain, but all he could do was stare.

"What made you do it?" Asahi's voice was the softest of them all, fiddling with loose strands of hair and averting his eyes from his underclassman. "Do they have better gyms? Better practices? Better coach? Better teammates? Just a better team? I mean hell, we're going to Nationals, Hinata, we-"

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there." Hinata held up a single hand, finding his voice and effectively shutting Asahi up. He regarded his team with wide eyes. "You think I'm leaving Karasuno for Aobajohsai?"

"Well...yeah..." Hinata raised a disbelieving eyebrow at Tsukishima, the one person who he thought wouldn't really care if he left or not. Was he really affected by this as much as the rest of them were? "We heard you talking to them about practice, and you were excited and-"

"Okay, no." Hinata waved his hand in the air, signaling for silence. "Did you guys think that I would leave this team for Aobajohsai?:"

A defining silence filled the gym as the faces of despair turned to ones of confusion. Hinata rolled his eyes. Boy, his teammates sure were dense sometimes.

Hinata crossed his arms. "Look. A while ago, I got lost nearby their school, and Yahaba, one of their setters, found me. He brought me back to the school since it was late and I needed to call someone, and I ended up staying the whole practice." The ginger could sense the growing panic from his team. He had to hurry this explanation up before they misunderstood again. "Yes, I played with them, but we all became friends, and that's all. And yes, every once in a while I go to their practices so I can see all of them because normally I don't get the chance to, not because I would _ever_ think about leaving Karasuno or this volleyball team." He bit his lip. "I can stop if that will make you guys feel better, but it's not what you were assuming at all."

"Of course he did." Tsukishima was the first to speak, taking his glasses off and running a hand exasperated down his face. "Of course. He made friends with Aobajohsai."

Hinata offered a shaky smile. "Uh. Yeah." He sucked on the inside of his cheek. "They're super fun people when you get to know them, seriously. I dunno why Kageyama didn't like them so much..."

"Dumbass." Kageyama interrupted, sending him a glare. "So you're not leaving us?"

"Obviously not! I can't believe you guys even thought that!"

"Well, based on what we heard, it seemed like an obvious conclusion..." Suga muttered, looking immensely relieved yet still a little confused.

Hinata resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Did he have to spell it out for them? "Don't worry about it. I love playing with Karasuno!" His face split into a heart-melting, genuine beam, which to his surprise, shut everyone up immediately. 

"Just to be clear, you're not joining a team with those Aobajohsai bastards?"

Hinata just grinned even brighter and barreled into Tanaka's chest, wrapping his upperclassman in a reassuring hug that he knew he needed.

"Nope!"

xxx

Everything went much smoother after that. The tension dissipated almost as quickly and abruptly as it had appeared, much to everyone's relief. Daichi had, thankfully, allowed the ginger to keep on occasionally going to Aobajohsai practices with the condition that if any of the players hurt him at all, Tanaka and Nishinoya had full permission to beat someone up.

Hinata and Kageyama were the last ones in the gym by the time practice was over, Hinata offering to clean up since he had caused his team so much mental distress and Kageyama because he usually walked home with the ginger.

"Hey, dumbass?"

Hinata looked up from the volleyball cart he was putting stray balls into to see Kageyama fiddling with the strap of his duffle, eyes trained on the floor. His voice was oddly strangled. Hinata frowned. He had thought he had gotten this whole thing sorted out, but maybe not.

"Yeah, Bakayama?"

"I know I'm...not exactly the nicest person to you or anything, and I know I bash you and your skills a lot, but..." He bit his lip, locking eyes with his friend. "Don't ever think that I don't care about you or appreciate you, okay?"

A smile instinctively tugged on the corners of Hinata's lips. "Woah there, Bakayama!" He pranced over to the setter, volleyball cart forgotten. "It's weird to see you being nice, kinda freaking me out a little bit, not gonna lie."

"Oh, shut up," Kageyama grumbled, crossing his arms and looking away. "I just don't want you to ever...you know...want to join another team or feel inadequate because of the things I say."

Hinata blinked. How had that thought gotten into Kageyama's head? They had always exchanged insults and bickered like it was nobodies business. It was part of his daily routine, and he would never ever even _consider_ joining another team to get away from it. Hinata had already known all of the things Kageyama had been saying, of course, but instead of reassuring him like he would anyone else, he resorted to the only way he knew how to talk to his partner.

"KAGEYAMA STOP YOU'RE SERIOUSLY FREAKING ME OUT!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT? I TAKE THAT BACK OIKAWA CAN HAVE YOU."

"RUDE! YOU LOVE ME!"

"THINK AGAIN, DUMBASS!"

Yep. He wouldn't trade this for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAHHHHHH sorry this took so long I was at this ranch place and there wasn't any internet. Sports are starting up again as well (at least for me) so chapters will be a little further between but don't worry! I'll still update regularity. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!


	12. "Sorry."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata feels like crap, but there's no way he can tell his team that. After all, then he'd have to stay home from a training camp with all of his friends! But when his sickness comes back to bite him, how will everyone react?
> 
> Aka tried to write a simple sick fic but turned into Hinata collapsing and everyone losing their shit (which is totally fine because there was a request for it anyway :))
> 
> Don't worry, sick fic coming up soon! Also, tell me if you want the aftermath of this particular chapter. I'd be more than happy to write it!

The first thing Hinata registered when he stumbled out of bed was a splitting headache.

The next was the fact that he was way hotter than he should be.

His final red flag of the morning was the bile rising in this throat. The ginger barely had time to untangle himself from his mess of blankets and sprint to the nearest bathroom before he emptied the contents of his stomach in the toilet, occasionally coming up for a small breath before diving back down again.

"Shit." He muttered, wide eyes staring down at the jumbled mess of last night's dinner in the toilet bowl in front of him. "Not now. Not today."

"Shouyou?" Hinata was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his mother's voice outside the door. He held his breath, desperately trying to force down the last bit of throw up. "Breakfast is ready. I'm driving you to school today, so you're going to have to leave a little earlier than usual."

Hinata would've breathed a sigh of relief if he wasn't so focused on keeping himself composed. "Kay." He paused, racking his brain for anything else to say. "Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

As soon as he heard her footsteps fade away, the bile he had been forcing down viciously clawed it's way back up, forcing the poor ginger to once again bend over the bowl, retching and gasping. As soon as he was satisfied that his stomach was completely empty, he sat back on his haunches, breathing in the air he had been deprived of deeply.

"God, I feel like crap." He murmured, curling up on the cold, tiled floor of the bathroom. It did little to soothe his hot, overly sensitive skin, but he practically melted into it nonetheless. His head was pounding, and sweat was running down his brow. His stomach was constricting in uncomfortable ways, no doubt searching for something else it could push up to the surface.

Hinata grimaced. He would have to skip breakfast today, that was for sure.

He stood up slowly, legs shaky and hands gripping the side of the sink for support. The ginger gritted his teeth together in frustration. He would be fine. This was just a bit of nerves. This was normal for him. After all, he'd gotten queasy from anticipation before, right?

Deep down, Hinata knew that none of that pertained to his current situation, but it was reason enough for himself to stumble over to his room and hastily yank on a white t-shirt and black volleyball shorts. There was no need for him to put on a uniform today since the very reason his mother was driving him to school instead of letting him bike like he usually did was that Karasuno was leaving for yet another training camp that week, and had been excused from all classes until further notice.

Hinata had been ecstatic at hearing the news. No overbearing teachers for a week, and he got to see all of his friends?! Now that was something that didn't happen very often.

Hinata's body was slick with sweat, and in his weakened state, he had an unreasonably (in his opinion) hard time pulling his shirt on over his damp shoulders and sticky torso. The fabric clung to his body uncomfortably and rubbed coarsely against his skin whenever he moved, a sensation that wasn't at all pleasant but was an excellent distraction from the splitting migraine he was currently experiencing.

Hinata trudged back to the bathroom after changing. He yanked open the cupboard and rummaged around until he found an old thermometer, one that probably hadn't been used in years since Natsu and Shouyou were usually such healthy children. He wordlessly stuck it in his mouth and waited, his foot tapping impatiently against the tiled floor. He would be going to the training camp no matter what; missing it was entirely out of the question. Volleyball was his entire life, and there was no way he was going to miss an opportunity to practice with all of his friends from their respective teams. Plus, he couldn't just abandon his teammates like that! He had made an obligation to them, and there was no way he was going to back out on it now just because of a tiny little bit of nausea and pain.

A small beep startled Hinata out of his thoughts as the results displayed on the small screen on the top of the thermometer. Hinata yanked it out of his mouth with a pop and sat back to observe the damage.

He cringed.

Thirty-eight point four degrees celsius.

"Shit," Hinata muttered to himself, pressing his clothed back against the wall in an attempt to cool it down. He threw the thermometer back onto the counter and let his head fall back.

"My stomach should be fine as long as I don't eat anything for the rest of the day." The ginger mused to himself, sliding down the wall until he was in a sitting position on the floor. "And even if my stomach does find something to throw up, the team shouldn't get too suspicious if I only do it once." He wrung his fingers together. His stomach wasn't the primary problem right now. Though it was very uncomfortable and his muscles were constricting painfully, his concern was mostly on his fever.

He could hide a stomach ache. He could hide a migraine. What he couldn't hide, however, was his fever. The sheer heat radiating off of him was a dead give away. Hinata was pretty sure that if anyone so much as touched his skin, his sickness would be found out immediately and he would be either sent home or bedridden. The ginger groaned and ran a hand down his face. Logically, he knew he should probably stay home and relax instead of going to a rigorous training camp that could potentially make his sickness worse. Still, at the same time, there was absolutely no way he was missing this or letting his team down.

He'd just have to hide it. That was fine.

Hinata took the rest of the time he had to press cold washcloths to his face, wipe off as much sweat as he could, dry off his damp hair, take an aspirin for his headache (though that had immediately ended up with him puking it back up a few seconds later) and just generally making himself look as presentable and healthy as possible.

"Shouyou! I'm going to be late!"

"Coming, mom!" Hinata hurriedly raced out of the bathroom and stuffed his overnight clothes, shorts, shirts, uniform, and necessities into his duffle before grabbing his volleyball and running out of his room to meet his mother in the entryway, expertly ignoring the pain in his stomach and the pounding in his head. He greeted her with a smile and wave, though she didn't return the grin.

"You okay, sweetie? You look a little flushed." She instinctively reached out to smooth down her son's unruly hair, the same way she had done ever since he was just a toddler, which was why she was so taken back when Hinata involuntarily flinched. His mother froze and dropped her hand instantly. "Is everything all right?"

Crap. He'd messed up. "Yeah! Fine!" Hinata chirped, practically skipping out the door in an attempt to avoid the conversation. He'd never been good at lying to his mother, and both of them knew it. "Just excited, you know?" He made sure to keep his face angled away from her.

"Mmhm. Okay." Hinata heard the jingle of car keys as she fished them out of her front pocket. "Shall we go?"

"Please do."

xxx

The bus ride over to the camp was not a pleasant one.

First off, in Hinata's opinion, Japan should take better care of their roads because the endless bouncing of the bus over speedbumps and potholes was doing no favors for his constricted stomach or splitting headache. Secondly, he was pretty sure Kageyama had noticed because why _wouldn't_ he? His setter knew him better than anyone, a fact Hinata both despised and adored all at the same time. Of course, Hinata knew that he could be overreacting a bit. After all, the only reason he had concluded that his fellow first-year suspected something was wrong was that there was a distinct lack of the word 'dumbass' in his vocabulary that morning.

Now Hinata knew that Kageyama wasn't a very chatty person in general, but the raven-haired boy always found some sort of reason to insult the ginger at least once when he arrived at school. They had comfortably settled into a routine after about the first week of knowing each other, and they hadn't broken it since. The pair would either race to the gym or wait for the other in front of it, depending on whatever mood they were in at the moment. Kageyama would insult Hinata's skills in some way or another, and Hinata would get adorably angry and start their bickering for the day. It was a natural, carefree routine, and the fact that a degrading comment hadn't so much as passed Kageyama's lips for the hour they had been sitting next to each other on the bus made Hinata a bit more paranoid then he'd like to admit.

"Bakayama?" Hinata tentatively kicked his leg, deeming it the most convenient way to get the setter's attention without skin to skin contact. "What's wrong with you?"

Kageyama gave him the side-eye. "You seem off today." He said finally, opting to shift his body so the partners could sit face to face.

Hinata mentally slapped himself. Maybe his mother wasn't the only one capable of picking out his lies. Nevertheless, he plastered the biggest grin he could muster onto his face and leaned back to rest his head against the window, both so he could see Kageyama better and to minimize the chance of his setter touching him.

"Whadda you mean?"

Kageyama regarded him with a weird look, and suddenly Hinata felt very small. It was like his blue eyes were boring holes into him, scanning him, looking straight through him and the facade he had so carefully constructed. A vulgar string of curses filtered through Hinata's head. Shit, why did Kageyama have to be so damn observant all the time? His gaze was cold and calculating, but at the same time, there was a hint of confusion buried under the mix. Hinata had always been the definition of an extrovert and practically lived off the attention of others, but right now, all he wanted to do was crawl into a hole, alone, and hide forever. Kageyama may insult him a lot, but Hinata had never been on the receiving end of the steadfast, immovable gaze he reserved only for the most calculating of opponents.

Hinata decided right then and there that he would have to give his friends on Aobajohsai extra big greeting hugs for having to put up with this for three years. Hinata didn't think he'd survive.

"Nothing." Kageyama's grumble abruptly snapped Hinata out of his thoughts. "Forget I said anything."

Hinata blinked. It wasn't like Kageyama just to dismiss a subject like that, no matter how much it seemingly annoyed him. Still, Hinata couldn't complain. After all, he would prefer to get to play volleyball during the training camp rather than staying bedridden for the next week and be fussed over by the smother hens he called his friends.

Hinata paused for a moment before poking Kageyama's cheek, just quick enough so that he couldn't feel his burning skin, but hard enough so they could maintain a sense of normalcy.

"Hey! Dumbass, what the hell was that for?!"

Hinata just grinned dopily. Boy, he sure was lucky that he could get excited over small things like teasing his setter even while he was sick. The ginger knew that otherwise, his smiles would look completely fake.

xxx

The second Karasuno stepped into the practice gym, Hinata was swarmed with people, much to the disbelief of his teammates. They knew Hinata was popular, but they didn't think he was _this_ popular. All the members of Aobajohsai had just straight up left their practice match against Fukurodani to race over to the flustered ginger, followed by an eager Bokuto and a softly smiling Akaashi, all of which greeted Hinata with humongous grins and shining eyes. Hinata, though he was feeling like absolute crap, made a point to give all of them huge greeting hugs, taking extra care not to initiate any skin to skin contact.

Ushijima had grabbed Hinata right in the middle of his hug with Oikawa, prompting the setter to glare at his long time rival even more intensely than he already had been. Hinata smiled slightly as he whirled around and barrelled into the hoard of people known as Shiratorizawa, expertly dodging hair ruffles from Shirabu and Semi (so they didn't touch his forehead and find out exactly how hot it was) and wrapping each of them in his famous bear hugs.

All Karasuno could do was stare in awe as Date Tech approached their tiny first year (because when had he ever even _interacted_ with any of them except Aone?) with shining smiles and gentle eyes. The surrounding teams watched as they exchanged pleasantries, whispered about something that suspiciously sounded like it involved miso soup, Koganeawa's face go beet red, and the group burst out laughing as Hinata wrapped each of them in his warm, small embrace.

His teammates' jaws were practically on the floor as he pranced back to them, his childlike face practically screaming happiness. They knew their precious first-year was friendly with anybody and everybody, but the fact that he had all of the most formidable volleyball players in their league wrapped around his little finger was astounding.

"You're..." Daichi was practically spellbound. "You're seriously friends with _all_ of these people?"

"Yeah!" Hinata nodded vigorously, immediately regretting the action as his migraine doubled in size. He resisted the urge to wince, instead focusing on his captain's face. "Of course!"

"Actual friends?" It was Tsukishima now, wearing the same incredulous expression as the rest of his teammates. "Not just acquaintances?"

"Of course!" Hinata repeated, making a point not to nod.

"I doubt Hinata even knows what an acquaintance is." Kageyama narrowed his eyes. Hinata huffed. As always, his setter had something to prove.

"That's impossible." Tsukishima was referring to his earlier statement. "Even _you_ couldn't be good friends with _everyone_ here."

Hinata bit his lip hesitantly. "Well, I'm not friends with anyone on Fukurodani except Bokuto and Akaashi." He smiled slightly as if apologizing. "I haven't met any of them yet, so..." His face split into a grin. "I'm sure they're amazing people, though."

Kageyama barely registered a few sharp intakes of air and chokes from the Fukurodani players behind them. He rolled his eyes. He knew what they were feeling all too well. "Fine. Besides the players you don't know here, have you ever hung out with any of them outside of volleyball?"

"All of them." Hinata's answer was immediate, making Karasuno blink, and the surrounding players smile smugly.

"Wha-what do you mean all of them?" It was clear Kageyama hadn't been expecting that answer.

Hinata shrugged. He didn't get why this was such a shock to his teammates. Did they not hang out with their friends or something?

"I mean what I said. All of them." He stated innocently, cocking his head to the side. "Let's see...I regularity go get ice cream with Ushijima, Semi, and Shirabu, Tendou came over to my house earlier this week to help me babysit Natsu, I slept over at Akaashi's a few nights ago with Bokuto, Aone-" Hinata cut off with a sharp gasp, suddenly becoming painfully aware of his contracting stomach. Seeing the concerned looks his friends gave him, he quickly flashed a soft smile and held up a warning hand. "Bathroom!" He squeaked, before running off in what he hoped was the direction of the toilet.

"Is he okay?" Iwaizumi asked after a moment, turning to Karasuno. "He sick or something?"

Kageyama shrugged, undeterred by his friend's sudden exit. "Probably has to take a shit."

Suga flicked him in the back of the head before smiling apologetically at Iwaizumi. "Sorry about him, he's kind of an ass-"

"We're aware."

Iwaizumi elbowed Oikawa harshly in the ribs, much harder than Suga had hit Kageyama, before grinning sweetly at the vice captain. "You were saying?"

"Uh..." Suga lifted his eyes from Oikawa's doubled over form to the Aobajohsai ace. "Right. What Kageyama meant to say is he probably just needed to use the bathroom." He gestured in the direction Hinata had run off in. "You know how he is. He probably got so caught up in the moment that he didn't realize."

"Mmhm." Iwaizumi didn't look particularly convinced, but Bokuto seemed to take the answer in stride.

"Alrighty then, folks! Let's play some volleyball!"

xxx

The way Hinata had run had, luckily enough, been in the direction of the bathroom, which was how he got in his current situation of retching over the toilet bowl, the tiny bit of water he had had that morning dribbling past his lips as he tried to keep the horrible noises he was making to a minimum.

His skin felt too tight, and his body felt too warm, and his head was hurting like crazy, and _this was so not good._ Hinata rested his forehead on the edge of the toilet bowl, not trusting himself to leave it's side yet. How could he play volleyball like this? There was no doubt that he'd just hinder his team, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I can't just tell them though," Hinata muttered to himself, slowly standing up on shaky legs. "Suga would freak..." He frowned. "Not to mention, it would ruin everyone else's time."

He bit his lip, mulling over his choices while simultaneously trying to stay standing as black dots danced around his vision.

"I can do this." He finally whispered, mostly to reassure himself more than anything else. "This is just a little nervous sickness. Yeah, that's it. Everything's fine. I've been through his before, and I did fine. Yeah. Fine." He suppressed a gasp and sunk back down to his knees, his babbling being abruptly cut off by horrible retching coming from his throat, though there was nothing left in his body to throw up. All he could do was choke on air, let spit dribble down his lips, and wait it out.

He stayed in the kneeling position a few minutes after his breathing had evened out and the noises had subsided. The ginger knew he was playing a dangerous game. He had been gone way longer than deemed normal for a simple bathroom break, which meant either relentless teasing from his teammates or someone finding out about his current condition.

Honestly, he didn't think he could handle either.

Hinata rose to his feet, ignoring his pounding headache, and made his way over to the sink. He grimaced when he saw his reflection. The ginger's curls were damp and matted to his forehead, looking even more vibrant than usual against his ghastly skin. His eyes were a bit droopy and red as well, which didn't help the middle blocker's appearance in the slightest.

Sighing, Hinata splashed some water on his face before drying it off with a paper towel, making sure to scrub extra hard in order to regain some color in his cheeks. There wasn't much he could do about his eyes or hair, though, other than run a hand through his curls and fluff it up to the best of his ability.

Hinata walked out of the bathroom on wobbly feet, fighting desperately to regain his composure before he reached the gym. Luckily for him, the ginger was notoriously stubborn, and he was able to force himself to walk properly out of sheer determination alone. He knew it wouldn't hold up for long, but he hoped that he could at least get through a few matches before having to mysteriously disappear to the bathroom again.

He reentered the gym and was immediately hit with a wave of nausea, whether it was from the stench of sweat or because his stomach had decided to act up again, he didn't know. He didn't have long to recover, though, because Nishinoya spotted him immediately.

"Hey! Shouyou!" He beckoned vigorously for his underclassman to rejoin the rest of his team, and despite everything, Hinata gave him a small smile. Nothing made him happier than attention from his amazing upperclassman.

He quickly walked over to his teammates, not trusting himself to run like he usually would. As he approached the group, Suga rounded on him almost instantly.

"The hell were you?" He asked harshly, crossing his arms and giving Hinata a slight glare. "You were gone for like-" He stole a glance at the clock hanging above the gym doors, "fifteen minutes!"

Hinata shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry." He muttered, not really in the mood for Suga's overbearing attitude towards him. He usually loved it and the attention it came with, but today he was just simply at his limit. He didn't think he could handle any extensive lectures either. His head already hurt enough as it was with all the volleyball bouncing around voices clashing together.

"Just some nerves." He cocked his mouth into a half-smile. "You know how it is."

"You blew chunks, Shorty?" Tanaka, blunt as ever, walked over to the ginger and swung his arm around his shoulder. Hinata silently thanked whatever deity was out there for the fact that he was wearing his Karasuno jacket so Tanaka didn't touch his skin. "I thought you got over that!" The spiker's tone was playful and teasing, but Hinata's muddled mind took it as an accusation. Besides, it was a good point. Hinata hadn't thrown up because of a game in months.

"Just nausea." The ginger answered, expertly ducking out of Tanaka's grasp. "I'm all good."

Tanaka merely shrugged, undeterred by the fact that his usually touchy underclassman had shied away from his grip. "Whatever you say, Shorty." Tanaka tended not to worry too much. That was good. Plus, his boisterous nature automatically directed the team's attention away from the ginger and toward himself, unintentionally saving Hinata from any unwanted gazes or questions.

Well, all except one.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hinata could see Kageyama fixing him with the same weird look he had on the bus, his brown furrowed together, and his eyes scanning over the smaller male's body as if looking for something. It lasted about five seconds before the setter turned away with a huff, unaware that Hinata had seen the whole thing. He tensed momentarily. Kageyama definitely suspected something, that was for sure, and that fact that he hadn't acted on it or expressed his concern to the rest of his teammates was something Hinata was immensely grateful for. He knew how his teammates were, and if he gave even one indication that he might be sick, he would be bedridden for the rest of the training camp, no questions asked.

And there was no way Hinata could lay in a bed for six days straight and not completely crack under the pressure to play volleyball.

"When's our match starting?" Yamaguchi's voice snapped Hinata out of his thoughts. "Everyone else is already playing."

Daichi offered a small smile, not even bothering to take his eyes off the door. "Any second now..." He murmured, arms crossed and finger tapping impatiently.

As if on cue, Kuroo burst through the doors with extreme vigor, followed by what looked like a slightly annoyed Kenma and the rest of his team. Kuroo wasted no time in flashing a quick middle finger in Bokuto's direction before bounding over to the awaiting group.

"Ayo Karasuno!" His face split into a mischievous grin. "Ready to lose?"

"About time," Tsukishima muttered, not at all deterred by his mentor's antics.

"You're late," Daichi said a matter-of-factly, glaring at his fellow captain. "Everyone else has already started."

"Then let's get to it!" Kuroo, utterly unfazed by Daichi's threatening tone, all but sprinted over to the unoccupied net Karasuno was currently standing in front of, following by the pouting form of Lev and an annoyed Yaku dragging the spiker by his collar. Daichi rolled his eyes but gestured for his team to aide Nekoma in getting out the volleyball and setting up the scoreboard.

"What's wrong with you."

Hinata yelped and whirled around, nearly colliding with Kenma, who was staring at him with accusing eyes and a slightly sad expression. To anyone else Kenma's face would look passive as usual, but Hinata knew better. Honestly, he should've prepared himself for Kenma's observation skills and ability to read him like an open book, just like Kageyama. It was annoying, frankly, how well his two best friends knew him, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

Hinata regarded him with a scowl and a pout. "Nothing."

"I think I know you better than that, Shouyou." Kenma crossed his arms and returned Hinata's glare with the same amount of intensity. "Something's wrong."

"Keep your voice down!" Hinata hissed, suddenly becoming hyper-aware of the curious gazes the duo were getting. He lightly grabbed Kenma's clothed elbow and pulled him to the side of the court and away from their respective teammates. The last thing he needed right now was a checkup from the smother hens known as Daichi and Suga.

"Seriously. I'm okay." He offered a small smile. "Just a little nausea before you got here. It's happened before."

"Are you sure?" Kenma's tone was challenging. "If you're nauseous then you should probably sit out or-"

"NO!" Hinata's loud outburst elicited multiple confused stares. The ginger mentally cursed and tried again. "It's nothing, Ken." He made sure to keep his voice low, practically pleading at this point for his friend to believe him. Kenma had always been a little too good at seeing through his lies, and Hinata could only hope that today would be an exception. "Ask my team. It's happened before. Nothing to worry about."

"If it's happened before, then why do you look so miserable?" Kenma retorted, clearly not entirely convinced.

"What, am I not allowed to feel even a little bad when I'm nauseous?"

"No. But if it happens so often, I'd assumed you'd be used to it." Kenma's counter was smooth as silk, as always. If Hinata didn't know any better, he would've thought the setter had formulated his answers in advance.

"Well, I'm not."

Kenma and Hinata rarely fought, but when they did, Kuroo usually had to pick up the pieces. Both of the boys were relentlessly stubborn, and Kuroo had often mulled over the prospect of telling the ginger that he could fix whatever conflict they were having in a split second if he just unleashed one of his smiles at the pudding haired boy, but had always decided against it and had to take the hard way out, aka being the messenger between the two boys until things were resolved. It really would be so much easier if Hinata knew the power he held over people, but Nekoma would undoubtedly lose every single match they played against Karasuno if the ginger knew what his smiles did to the team.

So he always kept quiet.

This little dispute between the two small players could barely even be called a fight considering their previous ones. Still, nonetheless, the two both stared at each other for another moment before stalking off to join their respective teams on their respective sides, both of their faces pinched in annoyance for two different reasons, Hinata for Kenma noticing the misery etched on his face and questioning him about it, and Kenma because Shouyou was clearly lying about what was wrong.

"What's up with you and Kenma?" Tsukishima asked bluntly, never one to beat around the bush. "I've never seen you bet mad at him before."

"I'm not mad," Hinata muttered begrudgingly, lifting his eyes to glare at the pudding haired setter, who in turn just huffed and stuck his nose in the air. Tsukishima rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I can totally see that," He said, sarcasm dripping from his words like venom. "My bad for making assumptions."

Hinata took a moment to compose himself. His headache had only gotten worse, and while his stomach wasn't constricting as bad as it was before, it was still painful. All that, Tsukishima's lousy attitude and his admittedly undeserved annoyance at Kenma were all contributing factors to his mood steadily growing worse and worse. All he wanted to do was get at least one match in before his stomach decided it wanted to make him experience giving birth again or something, but _apparently,_ that was too much to ask.

Hinata knew he was being unfair. He knew it was just the fever talking, and he knew that Kenma didn't deserve the annoyance Hinata was currently feeling towards him. So he took a deep breath, pushed down his anger until it was nothing more than a low simmer, and opened his eyes to meet Tsukishima's.

"Can we please just play?"

The blond froze, whether it was from the desperation in the ginger's voice or the lack of sparkle in his eye, no one would ever know. He stared at Hinata for a moment, his eyes confused and calculating as if he were trying to solve a particularly hard math problem.

"Uh. Yeah." He croaked out, eyes still raking over Hinata. "Sure."

Hinata rolled his eyes in annoyance. Great. Now Tsukishima was suspicious of him too.

xxx

All thoughts of Hinata were quickly forgotten as Nekoma and Karasuno dove deep into their game; both determined to win against the other. Despite the unrelenting pain in his head and abdomen, Hinata found himself just as immersed in the game as he'd always been, much to his relief. He hadn't been sure if he'd be able to play well enough for his team in his current state, but it seemed he was fairing just fine.

That is, until the middle of the second set.

Nekoma had won the first set, and Karasuno was doing everything they could to keep the ball in play. They were down 16-19 with a three-point gap, nothing the crows couldn't fill if they got their momentum going.

Nishinoya received Lev's spike effortlessly, having practiced with Nekoma enough times to get accustomed to his strange way of hitting the ball. The volleyball soared upwards, right into Kageyama's outstretched hands. A perfect receive by their libero, as always. Hinata knew immediately that Kageyama was aiming for a quick attack. They hadn't used it yet because of Inuoka's annoying ability to somewhat track where it was going, but by the way Kageyama's hands were aimed and the feel of his eyes boring into his skull, that was going to change.

Hinata took off immediately, the consequences of running at his full speed and jumping to his full height not even crossing his mind. He was too engrossed in the game to notice the way his abdomen throbbed painfully as he sprinted towards the net, the way the pounding in his head increased tenfold as he jumped to the best of his ability. It was only after the ball came spiraling to a stop in front of him that he realized something was wrong.

But by then, there was nothing he could do.

Blackness clouded Hinata's vision as he felt himself fall back to the ground. Hinata registered the sensations of his knees giving out and head knocking against the hardwood floor, though his mind was too overwhelmed to care about any pain that wasn't coming from his stomach. He heard terrified shrieks and breathless gasps from the people around him, and he vaguely recognized someone kneeling by his side.

"Sorry."

Then he promptly passed out.

xxx

Kageyama was at Hinata's side the second he crumpled onto the ground, everyone else following his lead only a moment after. The screams emanating from their court attracted the attention of the other teams in no time, who had all rushed over to where the precious ginger they had all grown to love was sprawled out on the floor in a mess of limbs and sweat.

"Sorry." It was soft and quiet, but it was Hinata's voice nonetheless. Relief coursed through the surrounding teams at hearing the middle blocker speak, but it was quickly replaced by pure, unadulterated terror as his half-lidded eyes rolled back into his head and slipped shut completely.

Everyone had immediately assumed the worst. Yamaguchi broke down ugly crying in an instant, followed closely by Inuoka and Bokuto. Oikawa latched onto Iwaizumi for dear life, and for once, the ace let him, eyes glued to the unmoving form of the Karasuno player, silently willing him to jump up and laugh in all of their faces, hoping to god that it was just a sick prank.

Asahi had practically leaped on top of Hinata's still form, eyes wide with terror and lips pressed together until they were nothing more than a thin white line. He carefully lowered himself down until his ear was pressed against his teammate's chest, holding his breath and _desperately hoping_ that what everyone thought had just happened hadn't happened.

There it was.

A heartbeat.

Asahi nearly collapsed from relief. He raised his eyes to meet the ones of those around him, unable to keep a smile off his lips.

"He's alive."

There was a collective exhale from every single one of the volleyball players, even the ones from Fukurodani that didn't know Hinata that well, followed by numerous desperate "thank yous" to whatever god or deity was listening, beyond grateful the boy they all adored had only passed out and not passed on.

In hindsight, they all knew they had jumped to conclusions all too quickly, but what were they supposed to think when their hyperactive ginger collapsed in the middle of a spike and muttered "sorry" before closing his eyes? That "sorry" had sounded way too much like someone's last words rather than a simple apology for fainting, and the impact it had on everyone in the room was astounding.

"Thank god." Kuroo murmured, pressing his forehead to the ground in relief. "Thank you, thank you, thankyouthankyouthankyou." His voice was mixed with countless others, some of them muttering prayers, some of them whispering sincere thanks, and some not even able to form coherent sentences thanks to the sight they had just witnessed.

Kenma stood stock still, unable to take his eyes off the ginger still sprawled on the floor. He had known something was wrong, hadn't he? _He had known!_ Why hadn't he pushed Shouyou more about the issue? Why hadn't he convinced him to tell him what was wrong? If Kenma had just tried a little harder, had not let his stubbornness and annoyance get the best of him, would Hinata not be in this situation right now?

"Fuck."

All eyes immediately swiveled to the raven-haired setter, his head in his hands and eyes buried into his palms. Daichi and Suga didn't even have the strength to reprimand him for swearing. All they could do was watch him with tired, weary eyes. Out of the corner of his gaze, they suddenly looked ancient to Kageyama. He knew they both cared for and protected Hinata, but their bond wasn't even close to that of his and the ginger.

Though Kageyama would quit volleyball and never drink milk for the rest of his life rather than admit it, the setter would lay down his life for the energetic ball of sunshine he oh-so-affectionately called a dumbass in a heartbeat with no questions asked. To see him crumple to the ground like that...Kageyama's heart had almost stopped. He'd never been so terrified in his life, and that was just after Hinata had only _fallen_.

When his eyes had slipped closed...Kageyama didn't even want to consider all the horrible possibilities that ran through his head. In the desperate moments he had waited as Asahi checked Hinata's heartbeat, Kageyama prayed to every deity and god he knew of and then some. Panic clutched at his heart as his eyes raked over the figure of his partner. He would never ever _ever_ insult Hinata's volleyball skills ever again, never yell at him for small things he couldn't control, never call him any derogatory nicknames ever again _if he would please just be okay._

Kageyama had felt himself physically sag from relief at Asahi's declaration of a heartbeat. Whispering a desperate "thank you" to whoever was listening.

Then reality hit him in the face like a truck.

"Fuck." He repeated, burying his face even further in his hands. "I knew. I knew something was wrong with him. Something just didn't feel right with him on the bus, and I noticed...ohmygod, I noticed something was wrong, and I..." Kageyama suddenly found it very hard to breathe. "I just chalked it up to me being paranoid or something. I didn't do _anything_. I should've asked! I should've pressed him about it, at least. I should've-"

"I noticed it too." Kenma's timid voice sliced through Kageyama's incoherent babbling like a knife. He was refusing to meet anyone's eyes, feelings of panic, guilt, and relief all mixing in his golden orbs. "That's what we were talking about on the sidelines. Before the game started." His voice dropped to a low whisper, effectively silencing everyone as they all strained their ears to listen to him. "He got defensive. Kept coming up with excuses I knew were bullshit." He bit his lip. "I should've tried harder too. I should've pushed and pushed him until I figured out what was wrong, I should've done more I just...I want him to be okay." Kenma's voice cracked violently at the last part, speaking the words that had been playing and replaying over and over in everyone's heads.

They just wanted him to be okay.

In a flurry of movements, Aone pushed gently through the wall of volleyball players surrounding Hinata to kneel beside the boy. He made a move to grab one of Hinata's arms to pick him up, but instantly recoiled, shock evident on his face.

"What is it?" Tanaka's voice was desperate and hurried. "What's wrong?!"

"He's burning up," Aone muttered, not bothering to meet anyone's eyes. "He's dangerously hot."

A new wave of panic crashed over the surrounding volleyball players at Aone's words; the gym immediately erupting into chaos. Everyone had risen from their positions on the ground and were now practically climbing over each other to get to Hinata, each person wanting to feel the ginger's skin for themselves to verify Aone's statement.

Suga rolled his eyes at the player's antics, but couldn't find it in himself to actually be annoyed with them. After all, he knew he would be doing the same thing if he didn't have the privilege to already be by Hinata's side. The precious ginger was significantly loved; there was no doubt about that. Anyone in the gym (minus the few Fukurodani players that didn't properly know him yet) would walk off the edge of the earth if Hinata told them too. Each one of the volleyball players had found out in their own unique way that it was practically impossible to deny the boy anything, not when he was smiling so happily and gazing up at them like they hung the stars in the sky.

Carefully, the grey-haired setter touched his underclassman's forehead, leaving his hand there a moment before pulling back with a hiss. "Shit, Aone wasn't lying." He muttered to himself, opting to press his palm to Hinata's forehead once again in a feeble attempt to cool it down. "Daichi. Can you get the first aid kit?" He paused, giving the captain time to nod. "We need to take his temperature."

"Already got it." Akaashi's usually monotone voice was filled with worry as he jogged over to the muddle of people with a familiar white kit in hand and an ice pack wrapped in a towel in the other. "Can you sit him up?"

Oikawa practically sprinted to the ginger's side, making Iwaizumi stumble from the loss of weight against his neck. The setter weaved expertly through the surrounding crowd of people, his skill and flexible limbs allowing him to kneel by his friend in no time. Oikawa carefully cupped Hinata's neck in his hand, murmuring a faint string of curses under his breath at the heat emanating off his body, and maneuvered him gently so he was resting against his chest.

Akaashi hummed appreciatively, nodding once before diving into the first aid kit. There wasn't much in it besides some bandages, gauze, and a thermometer, but Akaashi thanked whatever god was watching for the fact he was able to find what he needed to easily. He quickly plucked the thermometer out of the box and pushed it inside Hinata's closed lips, his unconscious state making his jaw slack and Akaashi's job infinitely more accessible.

Everyone held their breath as they waited for the contraption to beep, the previous scuffle long forgotten.

"Thirty-nine point eight." Akaashi read numbly, eyes going wide. "Shit, that's high."

Murmurs of agreement swept throughout the room, all eyes on the unmoving, innocent, angelic creature they had come to adore so much known as Hinata Shouyou.

"He'll be okay, right?" Tsukishima's words were uncharacteristically soft and underlined with worry, his brow furrowed and lips drawn in a thin, tight line. The truth was, he had been in hysterics from the moment Hinata had crumpled onto the floor, though his emotionally constipated self did a relatively good job of hiding it. He kept his eyes down and lips pursed, maintaining the impression of disinterestedness, though on the inside he had been anything but.

His mind had been screaming at him so loud for him to do something, _anything,_ that he was surprised no one else could hear it. He cared about the ginger whether he liked it or not, though instead of acknowledging this fact he resorted to jeers and taunts for the sake of his sanity (the first time Tsukishima had seen Hinata smile he'd turned into putty almost instantly) he never wanted his cheerful fellow first-year to be passed out on the gym floor with a fever so high that it could potentially be even more hazardous to his health.

When Hinata had first collapsed, Tsukishima had the faint, horrifying thought that he'd never get to see the smaller boy smile again.

He silently promised himself at that moment that he'd never take those sunshiny smiles for granted again. Little did he know that Kageyama made the same vow he did, only moments later. When Hinata woke up, they were going to appreciate the hell out of him from now on.

"He'll be fine," Suga answered tiredly, answering the blond's question and sitting back on his hunches. "He needs rest. We can't risk anything like this happening again." He buried his head in his hands, appalled at the universe for hurting the cheerful puppy that was his underclassman. "We should take him back to the dorms and lie him down."

Aone instantly moved to carry Hinata back to the dorms but was ultimately stopped by a growling Oikawa, who shifted the ginger slightly before picking him up bridal style in his own, admittedly, buff arms. Everyone else followed immediately behind. No one was comfortable with the prospect of leaving the ginger's side just yet.

The trek to the dorms wasn't a very far one, but the dorm rooms themselves were small. After all, they had only been built to accommodate one team at a time, not five. Still, all the players managed to scrunch into the room shoulder to shoulder as Oikawa gently set Hinata down on a cot in the middle of the room.

It was silent for the better part of ten minutes, everyone taking this time to gaze at the sleeping ginger with fond, adoring eyes. Everything was alright. Hinata was alright. Nothing seriously bad had happened to him. And really, at that moment, that was all they could ask for.

"I swear to god." Kageyama's low murmur interrupted the peaceful silence. "If he ever tries to hide something like this again, I'll kick his ass to the moon."

"Is that your twisted way of saying that you care about him?" Oikawa muttered back, never one to miss a chance to tease his former underclassman.

Kageyama didn't even miss a beat.

"Absolutely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I'M UPLOADING SO LATE AGHUAHSAJAGUBDJN THINGS HAVE JUST BEEN REALLY CRAZY AND I BARELY HAVE TIME TO WRITE!! I'LL TRY TO GET BETTER!
> 
> Also, one more question. What's everyone's favorite chapter? I'm trying to get a fell with what people like and don't like so you guys can enjoy it more. 
> 
> THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! PLEASE STAY SAFE WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON!


	13. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the previous chapter!! Fluff and things with everyone visiting a bedridden Hinata.
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER IS THE LONG REQUESTED LONG AWAITED JOHZENJI CHAPTER!!

Hinata woke up to a gentle hand thumbing over his cheek.

His knee jerk reaction was to whine, rollover, and shoo his mom away so he could sleep for another five minutes, and he almost did just that before the memories of yesterday came flooding back with unsuspecting force.

His eyes snapped over, eliciting a yelp from whatever person had been touching his face moments before, and sat straight up, ignoring the black spots that invaded his vision as he did so. Shit. He'd passed out. _Shit._

"Hinata?" Suga's tentative voice reached his ears, soft and comforting, though underlined with more than a little bit of worry. It was apparent he was trying to keep his volume to a minimum in fear of hurting or startling the boy.

"Suga?" No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, his upperclassman enveloped him in a gentle, yet firm, hug. Hinata froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, before opting to curl an arm around Suga's shoulders to return the embrace. "Are you okay?"

"Holy shit, we weresoworriedaboutyou." Suga's breathed, his words slurring and jumbling together. Hinata briefly wondered if he had been drinking, but quickly dismissed the thought because there was no way his _fantastic_ upperclassman would do such a thing while he was underage. His brow furrowed as Suga tightened his grip on him, punctuating his statement. What had gotten him so worked up? Fainting during a game wasn't _normal_ per se, but he didn't think anyone, even the resident smother hen himself, would be overly worried. After all, they had no doubt discovered his fever by now, right? There was no reason for them to panic if they knew the cause of his collapse. Right?

"Hinata." Suga inhaled shakily before carefully unlatching his arms from around Hinata's shoulders, taking extra precautions not to jostle the boy. He regarded the ginger with wide eyes, the relief evident on his face. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Uh." Hinata felt his cheeks heat up. "I...fainted?" He resisted the urge to groan. God, this was so embarrassing. He made a mental note to prepare himself for Tsukishima and Kageyama's relentless teasing and uncreative jokes that would no doubt come later about him passing out.

Suga nodded once. "And do you know why?" Though his question was simple and straightforward, Hinata couldn't help but frown in confusion.

"Don't you know about..." Hinata trailed off, the look on Suga's face making the words die in his throat. His upperclassman's previously jubilant expression had fallen completely. Now he just stared intently at the ginger, worried eyes raking over his sweaty form, taking in every detail as if he was scared the middle blocker would disappear into thin air.

"Yes, I know about the fever," Suga said gently, placing a calming palm on Hinata's cheek. "I just need to know if there's anything else." He reached over to smooth down a few strands of unruly hair with his free hand. "Be honest. No one's mad at you."

Hinata snorted. "Yeah. I have a hard time believing that." He wrinkled his nose. Talking to someone was a good distraction from the pounding in his head. He'd have to remember that for later. "Kageyama's probably fuming over the fact that I fainted while in the middle of a quick."

"He's not," Suga said quickly, offering a light smile. "That is something I can assure you of."

Hinata blinked at the confidence in his upperclassman's words. "What, do you setters have a psychic connection with each other or something?"

Suga didn't miss a beat. "Absolutely."

"REALLY?!" Hinata immediately regretted the outburst as a small burst of pain shot through his skull. He lowered his voice. "Really?"

Now it was Suga's turn to snort. "No, Hinata. Not really." He gestured toward the closed door. "I know because he's been worried sick about you ever since you passed out."

"You're lying."

Suga blinked. "No..?"

"There's no way Bakayama would be worried about _me_ fainting during a game." Hinata flopped back onto his cot, ignoring Suga's yelp of surprise. "Like, I know it's not _normal,_ but people have fainted during volleyball matches before."

Suga huffed out a laugh. "He's been out of his mind, Hinata. Trust me." He paused for a moment, seemingly debating with himself before slowly rising from his knees to stand at his full height. "We all were."

Before Hinata could say anything or comment about how _weird_ his upperclassman had been acting towards him, a shooting pain in his stomach wiped his mind completely. He groaned, instinctively tucking into himself and curling his hands around his midsection in a feeble attempt to lessen the pain. The fact that he hadn't had anything to eat in over twelve hours paired with his already constricting stomach muscles made for a deadly combination, one that Hinata quickly decided that he didn't want to experience ever again.

"Hinata!" Suga was on him in an instant, and though he was trying to keep his voice low and somewhat soft for the sake of Hinata's ears, the panic was bleeding through. "What's happening?! Are you okay?!"

"'m fine," Hinata mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew the half-assed response would do absolutely nothing to soothe Suga's nerves, but at the moment, he couldn't find the strength to say anything more.

Hinata felt Suga pause, the setter's form hovering over his curled up body, tentative fingers inches from his head, unsure of whether to touch the spasming boy or leave him be. After a few seconds of deliberation and painful wheezes from Hinata, Suga began carding a gentle hand through his underclassman's unruly locks, taking care to smooth out any knots or bumps.

"You're okay," Suga muttered softly, though Hinata suspected it was more for the setter's own benefit than for him. "You're okay. You're here. You're going to be alright. It hurts now, but it's going to be fine."

Every instinct Suga had was screaming at him to fix the trembling mess of a boy in front of him, protect the sweet child he had come to adore, just do _something,_ because if looks were any indication, Hinata was in pure agony right now, and the fact he couldn't do anything to take that pain away was _killing_ Suga. So the setter sat there, right next to him, threading skillful hands carefully through ginger locks and whispering soft, gentle words of reassurance.

All Hinata could do was focus on breathing through the haze of misery clouding his mind and wait for the pain to subside. He vaguely registered Suga's voice in the back of his head, but at the moment, he was much too distracted to listen to the things his upperclassman had to say. Admittedly, his voice did help ground Hinata a little, but it did absolutely nothing for the violent constricting of his stomach.

It took a full five minutes for the shooting pain to subside to nothing more than a dull ache, and another ten for Hinata to trust himself to uncurl without the possibility of him throwing up spit or blood (since those were the only thing he had left in his body at this point).

"I'm...okay." He said shakily, slowly sitting up to face Suga.

The setter said nothing. He simply readjusted his position so he would have better access to Hinata's hair. The panic was evident in his eyes, and uncertainty was written all over his face, but Suga knew how much the ginger despised being perceived as weak. The fact that he didn't comment on his little episode (no matter how worrying it undoubtedly was for the grey-haired man) was something Hinata was extremely grateful for.

"Hinata." Suga calmly scratched at the boy's scalp, making the ginger lean into his touch. Hinata always found it easy to forget his problems when he was with Suga. The pounding in his head seemed to have lessened a great deal thanks to Suga's head massage, and focusing on the man's careful movement was a good distraction from the ache in his stomach.

"Yes?"

"You know we love you, right?"

Hinata blinked, jerking slightly under Suga's hand before settling back down. Out of all the things he expected to come out of his upperclassman's mouth, _that_ certainly wasn't one of them.

"Um, I mean-"

"I mean all of us." Suga continued as if Hinata hadn't spoken. "Not just everyone at Karasuno, and don't make a single comment about Kageyama because he would turn the world upside down for you if necessary." Hinata furrowed his brow at that, opening his mouth to speak before he was promptly hushed. "Aobajohsai. Date Tech. Nekoma. Shiratorizawa. Akaashi. Bokuto. I don't know how you did it, but you've got all of them wrapped around your little finger."

"What? No, I don't." Hinata wrinkled his nose in protest. "We're just friends, no wrapping or fingers involved."

"Mmhm." Suga's hands left Hinata's hair and met his cheeks, gently cupping the ginger's freckled face and turning it to face him. "The bottom line is, that all of us care about you." Suga's gaze was deadly serious, a stark contrast to the way his thumbs were leisurely stroking Hinata's cheekbones. "So please, Hinata. For the sake of all of us, don't _ever_ hide something as bad as this again."

A tense silence. And then...

"I won't." The reply was nothing more than a whisper, but it was all Suga needed. He removed his hands from Hinata's face a rose slowly, making sure to give his underclassman time to situate himself. Hinata groaned at there loss of contact, always one for affection, but let Suga stand nonetheless.

Suga smiled down at him softly, undeniable fondness in his gaze, before wiping away a few stray curls from Hinata's sweaty forehead and pressing a light kiss into his hair.

"I'm going to tell everyone else you're awake." Suga bit his lip. "Are you alright with being alone for a few minutes?"

Hinata snorted, choosing to ignore the way he almost choked thanks to his stuffy nose. "I'm not a child, you know."

"Mmhm." Suga looked painfully unconvinced. "Hinata, if anything hurts and you're not telling me I swear to god-"

"I'm fine." Hinata cut him off with a smile and a wave of his hand, relishing the way he saw Suga's gaze soften. "Really. I'm not in any excruciating pain right now."

"But you're still in pain," Suga said flatly, crossing his arms. "Is that what I'm hearing?"

"Well, _obviously_ I'm going to be in at least some kind of pain thanks to the whole stomach thing earlier, right?" Hinata knew he wasn't doing Suga's nerves any favors, but since he had asked for the truth, he was going to give him the truth. Plus, Suga could have a particularly nasty temper if he wanted to, even worse than Daichi at times. Hinata knew that his upperclassman wouldn't hesitate to suspend him from the volleyball club if he showed even the slightest signs of lying about his sickness more than he already had. If the setter believed it to be a good lesson about teaching Hinata to tell the truth about what he was feeling, he would do it in a heartbeat.

"Thank you for being honest." The barest hint of a smile flickered across Suga's face as he kissed his fingertips and pressed them to Hinata's cheek. "If you need anything, just yell and someone will come running." Hinata blinked at the action before nodding affirmatively. Sure, he knew Suga had a soft spot for him, but he was never this affectionate. Had something else happened while he was out?

Hinata opened his mouth to ask but was met with an empty dorm room, the door still swinging closed from Suga's exit. He huffed and flopped back onto the mattress. No point in worrying the setter further with pointless questions, he supposed. Besides, if something awful indeed had happened while he had been unconscious, Suga surely would've told him, right? There was no reason for Hinata to be left in the dark about things going on with hisfriends at a volleyball camp hewas attending.

With that reasoning in mind, the ginger snuggled into the cot, squirmed out of the thin layer of blankets covering him, and let his mind drift.

xxx

"SHOUYOU!" Hinata's eyes snapped open. He hadn't even been aware that he'd closed them. Judging by the clock hanging on the wall, it had only been a few minutes since Suga had left the room.

"Wha-OOF" He was abruptly cut off as another body barrelled into him, hugging him tightly and sobbing dramatically. "What the-" He trailed off at the sight of Iwaizumi entering the room, hands in his pockets and eyes downcast. Ah. So that meant the big, blundering mess of a man currently squeezing the life out of Hinata was Oikawa. Nice.

"I WAS SO WORRIED, SHOU!" Oikawa screeched, curling his arms tighter around the ginger. "I THOUGHT YOU DIEDDDDDDD!" The setter let out another wail of despair, making Hinata wince. He shot a questioning look over Iwaizumi's way, wondering why he wasn't kicking the life out of his best friend like he usually did. Iwaizumi shrugged but made no move to stop the setter, leaving Hinata to fend for himself.

"You okay, 'Kawa?" Hinata asked after a few moments of patiently waiting for his whining to subside. Oikawa nodded stiffly, still refusing to let go of the ginger, opting instead to bury his face in the fluffy nest of curls atop of the middle blocker's head.

"You're still warm," Oikawa muttered softly, putting an uncharacteristically gentle hand on Hinata's forehead. "Too warm."

Hinata snorted. "Of course I am." Usually, he would've offered a more enthusiastic response to that, but his illness had sucked most of the energy out of the hyperactive boy, leaving him tired, dizzy, and a little bit grumpy. "I have a fever, dummy."

"Shouyou, so mean." Oikawa murmured into his hair, not moving from his position.

"How are you feeling, Hinata?" It was Iwaizumi's turn to talk now. He was still standing at the doorway, scuffing his shoes lightly against the floor.

"Ughhh, don't even get me started," Hinata groaned, waving his hands around dramatically. "My head feels like gwah and my stomach just went faomph a few minutes ago." He made a face. "It wasn't fun."

Oikawa nodded solemnly, complete understanding written all over his face. "I'm sorry, Shou. Faomphs are the worst."

"I KNOW!"

"They hurt really bad."

"I KNOW!"

Iwaizumi made a face, finally walking away from the door and sitting down beside the duo. "You guys are so freakin' weird."

Oikawa sniffed, somehow making it sound snooty. "You love us."

"Wrong. I love Hinata." Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. "I merely tolerate you."

Oikawa's lifted his head from the ginger curls, mouth falling open in mock hurt. "MEAN!" He hugged Hinata tighter, shifting his body so the organette's back was pressed into his chest. "Someone as despicable as you should never be allowed to be friends with Shouyou."

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. "Please. Enlighten me."

Oikawa glared. "I cannot have your pessimistic, unpleasant self taint his pure aura." Oikawa made a face. "That is simply unacceptable."

"Yeah?" There was a hint of challenge in Iwaizumi's voice. "I could say the same thing about you."

"EXCUSEZ MOI?! I AM AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT TO BE AROUND!"

"I'd have to disagree."

"WELL, WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?! I BET YOU'D KICK A BABY KITTEN IF IT GOT IN YOUR WAY!"

"Hinata's basically the equivalent of a baby kitten, and I haven't kicked him yet."

"ARE YOU SAYING YOU MIGHT?!"

"No. But I might kick you if you don't shut up."

Oikawa wrinkled his nose. "That's child abuse."

"What? How."

"You're older than me."

"By like one month!"

"One month and ten days, actually."

"You're literally eighteen."

"So are you."

"I hate you."

"I know."

Hinata giggled, causing two pairs of eyes to turn his way, argument forgotten completely. Hinata's laugh was like music to the Aobajohsai players' ears, bright, genuine, and downright adorable. Much like the ginger's smiles, his laughter never got old. It was filled with the same sincerity and warmth as those megawatt grins and twinkling eyes, and it somehow succeeded in making him ten times cuter than he already was. That paired with messy curls, sparkly puppy dog eyes, a bubbly personality, smiles that could put the sun to shame, and an overall selfless, caring attitude was the perfect recipe for an adorable, pocket-sized middle blocker that everyone was absolutely smitten with.

"You guys are hilarious." He murmured sincerely, pressing himself further into Oikawa's chest. He was suddenly so, so tired. Exchanging only a few simple sentences with his friends was physically draining for Hinata in this state. His head was pounding, he had a dull ache in his stomach, and his skin was still hot to the touch. Still, the ginger couldn't find it in himself to complain. He knew Iwaizumi and Oikawa well enough to know that if he fell asleep right then and there, they wouldn't hold it against them.

Hinata was right, of course. Iwaizumi knew that their little ginger friend needed his sleep, and Oikawa was quite thrilled to have the fluffy ball of sunshine curl up in his lap.

Hinata murmured quiet apologies to his friends, though he knew they weren't necessary, and promptly drifted off. He'd much rather stay awake and talk some more, but he knew he needed all the sleep he could get before his stomach decided to act up again. He curled himself up in Oikawa's lap, found a comfortable position, and was snoring in a matter of minutes.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa watched this process quietly, and the former had to shush his friend multiple times for letting out little squeaks of happiness at the sight of his precious student snuggling into his chest.

"I'm glad he's okay." Iwaizumi said finally, shifting himself so he could face Oikawa. "He gave us a real scare."

The setter hummed in agreement, lifting his gaze from Hinata to Iwaizumi. "Yeah." They lapsed into silence, not wanting to wake Hinata, but not wanting to leave either.

"I wasn't kidding, you know." Oikawa bit his lip, his cocky facade falling away as it always did when he and Iwaizumi were together. "I may have sounded overdramatic for Shou's sake, but I really did think that he died."

Iwaizumi nodded. "Yeah. I could tell by the way you were clinging to me like a spider monkey."

"I choose to take that as I compliment, thank you very much! Monkeys have excellent reflexes and are very smart." Oikawa smirked. "Unlike you, my friend."

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. "I was going to say you look like a monkey more than anything, but I guess that other stuff works too."

"Mean!" The setter harshly whispered, careful not to jostle the sleeping boy in his arms as he shot his best friend a glare. "I know for a fact that you were worried too."

Iwaizumi just nodded, glancing down at the ginger. "Who said I wasn't?"

"Hmm." Hinata shifted slightly in the setter's arms, making the two fall silent. The ginger groaned a little, still clearly out of it, and moved until he rolled out of Oikawa's lap and into the cot they were sitting on, making Iwaizumi scootch back a little to avoid waking the ginger up.

Oikawa furrowed his brow a little, slightly peeved at the fact that an unconscious Hinata chose the bed over his lap, but he couldn't exactly hold it against him. His friend was sick, and he needed all the comfort he could get.

"I'm glad he's okay." Iwaizumi whispered again, carefully rising to his feet and stepping off the cot. "I mean, more okay than we thought he was."

Oikawa nodded mutely, entirely in agreement. "Mmhm. I don't know how I'd be able to deal with yesterday being the last time I saw him smile."

Iwaizumi snorted, though they both knew he felt the same way. "Gay."

"No. Bisexual." Oikawa raised a teasing eyebrow. "You're the one who's gay."

Iwaizumi's mouth twitched. "Fair."

"Hmm. Thought so." Oikawa swept a few strands of hair away from Hinata's face before standing up as well. "We should probably let someone else take it from here."

"Yeah." Iwaizumi nodded. "Everyone's gonna kill us when they find out we were the first ones to see Hinata."

"Besides Sugawara." Oikawa pointed out.

"Yeah. Besides Sugawara." Iwaizumi smiled fondly down at the ginger. "You gave all of us quite a scare, Hinata."

xxx

Hinata woke up to a swirl of blond and black tickling his face.

"Wha-"

"Cuddles." Kenma was deadly serious. "Now."

Hinata blinked, trying to both clear the fogginess from his eyes and wrap his head around Kenma's request. Kenma _never_ asked for cuddles, not once. Hinata knew his friend always enjoyed them, of course, but every single time he had been the one to initiate or request physical contact from the dual haired setter. Never once had it been the other way around.

"Huh?" Hinata's words were slightly slurred, still a little out of his after being woken up by hair tickling his nose and cheeks. "Cuddles?"

"Yes. Cuddles." Kenma's face disappeared from view, prompting the ginger to curl onto his side to face him. He wasn't surprised to see Kuroo just a few feet away from Kenma, arms crossed and leaning against the wall as he watched the two interact as he'd done so many times before. Hinata had asked him about it once. He'd said it was interesting, almost like watching a puppy and a kitten play together.

Hinata shifted his gaze from Kuroo back to Kenma. "But you neeeever ask for cuddles." He emphasized the never by snuggling further into his blankets, eyesight still blurry.

Kenma shrugged, his face a perfect picture of indifference. "Well, I'm asking now." He flicked his wrist. "So scootch."

Hinata furrowed his brow. His brain still wasn't quite caught up with his body just yet, and this whole situation was so out of the ordinary that he wasn't quite sure if he was still asleep or not. Kenma looked real enough anyway. So did Kuroo.

Cuddling with Kenma wasn't a rare occurrence, per se, but Hinata was always happy when they did. The ginger craved physical contact and relished the fact that he was the only one allowed to hug Kenma regularly. But for the first time in forever, Hinata was unsure.

"But I'm really sick." He murmured, propping himself up on his elbows a bit so he could get a better look at his friend. "I want you to stay healthy."

Kenma rolled his eyes. "It'll be fine. I don't get sick." He glared at the floor. "And if I do, I'll tell someone about it instead of keeping it a secret until I faint in the middle of a game and scare the living crap out of everyone. "

It was one of Kenma's standard passive-aggressive comments, nothing he hadn't heard before, but Hinata couldn't help but shrink back at his words. "'m sorry." He mumbled, tears pricking at his eyes. If there was anything he hated more than sympathy, it was disappointing people. And right now, he was positive Kenma was disappointed in him.

"Do you hate me?" The words were barely above a wet whisper, but they were enough to break Kenma's passive expression completely.

"What?" The setter looked utterly horrified at the concept. "Why the hell would you think that?"

"'cause me and you were fighting," Hinata mumbled, barely coherent thanks to the blanket covering his mouth. "You were angry."

Kenma sighed. "Yes, Shou, I was a little mad at you." Hinata tensed slightly. "But only because I care about you and your health. I know I act indifferent, but the last thing I want is you getting hurt because of some stupid mistake." The setter glared slightly at his friend, but it had no heat behind it. "And keeping your sickness a secret was stupid. So don't do it again." Ah, there it was—the famous Kenma Kozume bluntness.

Hinata rose a little more to meet Kenma's eyes. "So you don't hate me?"

"No. Never." The dual haired boy wrinkled his nose. "I honestly think it's impossible. Now move." He tapped Hinata's shoulder with his shoe. "I asked for cuddles."

Hinata complied instantly, scootching over to the left side of the cot to make room for his friend. He was still a little wary about his fever, but his worries about getting the setter sick quickly disappeared as Kenma scooted in next to him, wrapped one arm around his waist, and started combing his fingers through the ginger's hair as they'd done a thousand times before. It was practically instinct at this point, but Hinata never ceased to melt into the gentle touches given by Kenma's hands.

"You not gonna take a picture?" Hinata asked Kuroo after a few moments, lifting his head slightly to face the captain before Kenma pushed it back down to continue his work of smoothing out the ginger curls.

"Nah." An unusually short response for Kuroo. Hinata furrowed his brow.

"Why not? You literally break into Kenma's house to take pictures of us like at least once a week, and now you pass up the opportunity while we're right in front of you?"

"Yep." Kuroo popped the p. "I think I'm just going to enjoy the scene, this time."

"That sounds a little stalkerish." Kenma murmured, eyes never leaving Hinata's head.

Kuroo merely shrugged. "Maybe." He still hadn't moved from his position against the wall. "I'm just glad I get to keep seeing it, that's all."

Hinata raised an eyebrow as he felt Kenma hum in agreement. "Whadda you mean? It's not like I _died_ or anything." Honestly, everyone was acting so sweet and out of character toward him that he was getting a little creeped out. The only conclusion he could come up with was that something else had happened after he'd fainted.

"Hmm. Yeah." Hinata didn't miss Kuroo and Kenma exchanging knowing glances. "We know."

Hinata wanted to ask them about it, but it seemed his body had other plans. The gentle sensation of Kenma's hands in his hair, Kuroo's watchful gaze, and the sheer comfiness of the cot under him was enough to put the ginger to sleep within minutes.

xxx

Almost everyone had visited Hinata that day. Kenma and Kuroo were long gone by the time the entirety of Aobajohsai came storming into his room with Oikawa and Iwaizumi in tow, demanding to know why they'd gotten to see Hinata first. Oikawa had made a snarky comment about him and Iwaizumi being the ginger's favorite, and that had sparked a vicious argument between the teammates as Hinata watched on with mute amusement.

The rest of the visits were a blur. Ushijima offered to spike the sickness right out of his body, to which Semi had immediately declined much to both the relief and disappointment of the ginger. He kind of wanted to know what it felt like to be spiked by the great Ushijima Wakatoshi. While Semi and the captain argued, Shirabu had offered to buy Hinata as many ice creams as he wanted, Goshiki had cried the entire time, and Tendou started to sing a song about "crushing people's hearts" in an attempt to cheer up the middle blocker.

The entirety of Date Tech delivered Hinata lunch, and they treated him just as they had while they were at Aone's house all those weeks ago. They were no strangers to taking care of Hinata, and in that short time they spent together, they had all adapted to the ginger's personality and needs when he was upset. Of course, the ginger wasn't upset, only sick, but he didn't mind being babied by the Date Tech team like would anyone else. They'd seen him at his worst, and he trusted them not to judge.

Nekoma had burst in later, minus their captain and their setter, which was another situation all in itself. Yaku kept babbling about teaching him all the receives he wanted, Inuoka and Lev got into an argument about who got to hug him first while Yamamoto just hugged him anyway, which spiked yet _another debate_ between the three about the rules of dibs or something like that. When Hinata mentioned that Kenma had been the actual first to hug him, Yamamoto had promptly sprinted out of the room screaming bloody murder in the form of Kenma's name, making Inuoke abandon his argument with Lev to just go ahead and hug Hinata anyway, and Lev ran out of the room after Yamamoto threatening to "spike him to the moon." Yaku had almost tackled the grey-haired student for being stupid.

Hinata didn't remember any of Fukurodani's visit, but he was told that Bokuto and Akaashi had come to visit him while he was sleeping, causing the captain to allegedly break down and cry over his sleeping body, wishing for him to "rest in peace." Akaashi had had to drag him out of the room in an attempt to convince the overly emotional spiker that their friend was not, in fact, dead, and just, in fact, sleeping.

The visit from his own team had undoubtedly been the most hectic. Nishinoya and Tanaka had clung to him while crying dramatically, thanking "the goddess Kiyoko" that their underclassman was still alive. Hinata had still been a bit sleepy when his team came to visit, and had mistaken Asahi for Jesus, making Yamaguchi laugh until tears streamed down his face. Daichi had scolded the first year for being so loud, patted Asahi sympathetically on the back, and promptly started arguing with Ennoshita that Asahi did not, in fact, look like Jesus. Suga took Ennoshita's side and insisted that the ace did, which then started an all-out war between the team (minutes Tanaka, Nishinoya, Kageyama, and Tsukishima. Tanaka and Noya because they refused to let go of Hinata, and Tsukishima and Kageyama because they weren't there.)

Still, Hinata was beyond happy to later be informed by Daichi that his fever had gone down.

xxx

Hinata was staring at the wall, bored out of his mind, when Kageyama and Tsukishima entered the room.

"Woah, woah, woah." Hinata held up a hand, making both boys freeze uncomfortably. "You guys. Are coming. To visit me. _Together_?" Hinata broke out into a fit of giggles. "For real? Did I wake up in a parallel universe or something?"

"No, dumba- I mean Hinata." Hinata raised an eyebrow at Kageyama's stutter. "You're here. Same universe as always."

"Okay." The ginger crossed his arms, becoming immediately defensive. "That doesn't explain why you two have been in the same room for the past twenty seconds and haven't ripped each other's heads off yet."

Tsukishima sniffed. "Bickering with this clown isn't important right now." He expertly ignored Kageyama's murderous glare. "We just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Hinata blinked. Kei Tsukishima wanted to make sure _he_ was okay? Parallel universe or not, that was _beyond_ weird. "Wow. Um." Hinata scratched the back of his neck. "That's unexpected."

Tsukishima visibly stiffened. "Why's that?"

"Uh, I dunno, maybe 'cause you're _you._ " Hinata narrowed his eyes. "I've never heard you so much as apologize to someone." He paused. "No offense, though. I could be wrong."

Tsukishima chewed on his lip. "In that case, I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm so, so sorry."

Now _that_ caught Hinata off guard. "Huh? For what?"

"You know." Tsukishima waved his hand around. "Everything."

"Riiiiight." Hinata scanned the blond up and down. "Are you sure this isn't a parallel universe?"

"Fairly sure, yes."

"Hm." Hinata turned to Kageyama. "And you...?"

"For the same reason, pretty much, yeah." Kageyama ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I've criticized your skills so many times and called you so many names and insulted you beyond belief and just...I'm sorry."

"Same here," Tsukishima muttered, and Hinata had to pick his jaw up off the floor. What the _fuck_ was happening. Did his friends get kidnapped by body snatchers or something? Oikawa had warned him that it would happen eventually, but he didn't think the setter was serious... "I've been a terrible person and frankly an asshole to you for no reason, and I want to fix it before it's too late."

"Okay, uh, _back the hell up._ " Hinata shook his head. "I feel like I'm missing a _very_ important piece of the puzzle here." He scrunched up his nose. "You guys have always treated me like that, and it's never been a problem for you before." He thought for a moment. "Or me, for that matter."

"Look, it's just that the last time we saw you smile was earlier yesterday-"

"What?"

"-and then when you collapsed we thought that we'd never see that smile again-"

" _What?"_

"And when Asahi told us you'd only passed out we were just so _so_ relieved that we could have a chance to make things right-"

" _Hold up_." Hinata put out a hand, cutting Tsukishima and Kageyama off abruptly. "You guys thought I _died_?"

"Well...yeah." The blond murmured, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. "I mean, the last thing you said was "sorry" before falling to the ground. What were we supposed to think?"

"Uh, I don't know, maybe that _all I did was pass out_?" Hinata couldn't stop the snicker that escaped his lips. "Why'd you even come to that conclusion? That's like the _worst_ and _least possible_ situation that could've happened." He broke off into a fresh fit of giggles. No wonder everyone was acting so overly affectionate today.

"It's just..." Kageyama wrung out his hands, making Hinata laugh even harder. God, the fact that his friends were so emotionally constipated was hilarious. "We realized how sad we'd be if you died-"

"Uh, yeah, I hope _you'd be sad if I died_. What, did you guys think your lives would go on as normal or something if I passed away? If any of us passed away?" Hinata was laughing openly now. "God, you guys are _terrible_ at this whole 'emotions' and 'apologizing' thing."

"We-"

"Yes, Tsukishima. You guys are emotionally constipated. I know." Tsukishima clicked his mouth shut. "But guys, I don't care about all the things you say about me. It might just be my optimism talking, but I know you don't really mean any of the comments you make." Hinata offered a lopsided grin. "And please keep being your normal selves. All of this niceness from you two at one time is freaking me out. Literally. I have chills." He showed his goosebumps as if to prove his point.

Tsukishima seemed to accept this answer fully, reaching out to ruffle his curls with a certain gentleness Hinata had never felt from his fellow middle blocker, before nodding at Kageyama and heading out of the room. Hinata didn't expect anything more. Tsukishima had never been good at talking about his feelings as far as Hinata had observed. The ginger suspected he used insults and such as sort of a defense system for his own insecurities, but he wasn't going to push him to talk about it. Plus, he knew that Tsukishima hated physical contact from everyone, even from Yamaguchi. Hinata suspected it made him uncomfortable to some degree.

Just the fact that he actively tried to apologize when he was obviously uncomfortable with expressing his emotions was all Hinata needed to know that the tall, blond middle blocker cared about him. He'd known that, of course, but it was always nice to have reassurance once in a while.

Kageyama, however, didn't seem nearly as convinced. Hinata just smiled.

"Come on! Gimme a hug, Bakayama!"

Kageyama made a face on reflex. "No way, dumbass. You're sick."

Hinata grinned, threw back the covers to his cot, and leaped onto his setter, latching his arms firmly around his neck and using the tips of his toes for balance. Kageyama stumbled back a bit, surprised by the sudden weight, but ultimately returned the embrace as Hinata knew he would. Kageyama wasn't big on casual shows of affection, but Hinata knew his partner well enough to know that the best way to reassure him of something was to give him a warm, firm hug. Hinata had only had to use this tactic three separate times (and that was counting this one), but it never failed to calm the setter's nerves.

Plus, though he never said it, Hinata thought Kageyama gave the best hugs in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This could've been out sooner, but some personal issues came up and stuff. It's hard to churn out 5,000+ word chapters every day, but I'll try the best I can. Thanks for all the support, AND I LOVE YOU ALL TO THE MOON AND BACK! <3


	14. Can We Keep Him? (johzenji edition)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE LONG AWAITED JOHZENJI CHAPTER I HOPE YOU ENJOY!
> 
> Also, try not to think about the timelines in this fic. Just...don't.
> 
> ENJOY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Terushima's watched mutely as the glasses-wearing hottie retreated down the hall.

God damn, how had _Karasuno_ of all teams manage to get a girl like _that_ as their manager? Her eyes were like the ocean, hair silky and smooth, skin so pale and beautiful that it looked like porcelain, and just one glance at her had been enough to drive Terushima wild.

Of course, it was only natural for the blond to shoot his shot and try to get the beauty's number before she disappeared from his life forever. He'd had no ill intentions whatsoever, and even though he knew hadn't done the best job of showcasing that fact, but it still didn't excuse the fact that some stupid first-year had interfered in his foolproof plan to woo the raven-haired goddess, and thus sent her running down the corridor and out of his sight.

Speaking of which...

"The hell was that!" Terushima quickly rounded on the small boy who had so rudely butted in on their one-sided conversation. "Do you have _any_ shred of self-respect for..." His voice trailed off as he scanned the ginger up and down, taking in everything from his vibrant head of curls to the honey freckles peppering his face. He'd been expecting a brash looking, rude, young punk volleyball player that he could easily curse out, not whatever angelic being was standing in front of him.

Definitely not that.

"Uh. Hi." Hinata waved hesitantly, offering a soft, shaky smile that made Terushima weak in the knees. "I get that you're kind of mad, but it looked like Kiyoko wanted her space, and-"

"You're fucking _adorable._ " The words were out before Terushima could stop them, not that he particularly minded. After all, he tended to speak his mind, and there was no way he was going to stop now. He prattled on, desperately trying to ignore the delightful pink now painting the boy's babyface. "I'm serious. You're like-" He gestured uselessly. " _Really_ pretty."

Terushima had never been so serious about anything in his life. God, in all his years on planet earth, he had never seen a human being as _adorable_ and _perfect looking_ as the one standing before him. The blond sucked in a breath. Fluffy orange hair, flawless skin, flushed cheeks, not the mention the fact that he was adorably pocket-sized, and _ohmygod, are his eyes sparkling? Holy. Fucking. Shit._

Terushima wanted to die. Or was he already dead? Was this was angels looked like? Why didn't anyone tell him! If he'd known they were this unbearably pretty, he would've booked a ticket to the afterlife a lot sooner.

"Um, Terushima?" Hinata's raised a nervous eyebrow, unsure if the blond's attitude towards him was good or bad. "You look a little shell-shocked. Are you okay?"

_Holy shit, his voice is adorable too ohmygod he's like a puppy._

"Um." Terushima flashed a weak smile the ginger's way. God, what was happening to him? It was almost like all of his senses were completely shut down. The hell? That's not how things are supposed to work. _He's_ supposed to be the charmer, the one everyone adored. _He's_ supposed to be the one making other people flustered for no good reason, not the other way around, and definitely not because of a first-year with eyes like honey and fluffy curls that looked like they would be soft to the touch and _holy freaking crap I give up he's the cutest thing I've ever seen._

"Wait a sec." Terushima blinked as he registered Hinata's words. "How'd you know my name?"

"Oh." Hinata broke into a wide, relieved smile, making Terushima choke and stumble backward a few steps. "Of course I know you! You're Yuuji Terushima, captain of Johzenji!" He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I admire you! I know your school isn't as big and well known as some others, but the way you always have fun and stuff during your volleyball matches is really really cool! I think it's better to have fun while doing things rather than be super serious, you know?"

This had to be a trick. There was _no way_ the most adorable puppy-like boy Terushima had ever seen both played volleyball and shared his exact same mindset when it came to everyday life. Was this a prank? An elaborate scheme set up by his joke loving teammates?

Terushima had been kind of hoping that the ginger's attitude would be rude or condescending, but no, it was just as perfect as the rest of him. He was as cheerful as he was polite, and his words were filled with such enthusiasm that Terushima decided right then and there that it was _utterly impossible_ to dislike the impossibly charismatic child in front of him, and anyone who did either took joy in kicking puppies or was the spawn of the devil himself.

Terushima's mind came to a screeching halt, eyes blown wide as he finally processed Hinata's statement. Holy crap. Holy freaking crap. He'd said he admired him. The angelic soul straight from heaven admired _him._

Terushima thought he might faint.

Holy.

Freaking.

Crap.

"You're coming with me." The words were oddly strangled and forceful, but Terushima had never been more adamant about something in his life. "Please." He added after a moment, because consent was always a good thing.

"Uh." Hinata tilted his head like a confused puppy, and Terushima's internal screaming was so loud he was surprised no one else could hear it. "You're not going after Kiyoko again, are you?"

_Ohmygod, his heart is made of pure gold. How the hell is this child even real._

"Your manager?" Terushima waved the thought away. "Nope, I really couldn't give a damn about her right now."

"Oh." Hinata put a finger to his lips, thinking for a moment, before splitting into a heart-melting grin. "Sure! Sounds cool!" The ginger stuck a hand out enthusiastically. "I'm Hinata Shouyou! Nice to finally meet you!"

Terushima internally cringed. Had he really been so wrapped up that he'd forgotten to ask for the boy's name? Talk about a bad kinda sorta first impression.

"It's awesome to meet you, Hinata!" Terushima shook the middle blocker's outstretched hand with renowned vigor. "I guess you already know who I am, huh."

"Yep!" He thought for a moment. "Uh, I got one question, though."

"Shoot," Terushima said instantly, beginning his descent down the hall, looking back every once in a while to ensure that the ginger was still on his heels.

"Where exactly are we going?' Hinata didn't sound scared or uncomfortable; he just looked curious. God, this boy was so freaking innocent it made Terushima want to scream. While it was a valid question, Terushima's brain was still a little foggy from one of Hinata's earlier smiles aimed right at his face, so he had to shake his head a few times before answering.

"I'm gonna show you off to my team, of course!"

"Show me off?" Holy crap, this boy was so precious. "What do you mean by that?"

Terushima blinked. "In case you haven't noticed, you're the most adorable thing on his planet," He replied. "My teammates will adore you. I'm positive."

"Oh." Hinata scrunched up his face. "Okay!" He bounded forward a few steps, so he was now walking beside Terushima instead of behind him. "I'm sure I'll love them! Johzenji seems like a really fun team!"

Terushima nodded in agreement. "I'm sure you will. They act a lot like you, you know?"

"Really?" Hinata's eyes grew wide, and Terushima had to physically fight the urge to squish his cheeks. "Whadda ya mean?"

"Loud. Happy. Energetic. Bubbly." Terushima counted each of these off on his fingers. "Smiley. Peppy. Lively. Animated. Sociable-"

"How would you know if I'm sociable?" Hinata interrupted, staring at the blond with bright, curious eyes. "You've never seen me before today, right?"

Terushima squinted at the boy. "Is that a serious question?"

Hinata shrugged, shifting his gaze again so he was now facing straight ahead. "Just wondering."

Terushima was torn between answering Hinata's question and getting down on his knees to give thanks to whatever god had decided to bless his existence with the innocent angel.

Eventually, the former won out, but only because Terushima had decided he'd postpone the latter until he got home.

"You can't honestly tell me that you don't have people tripping over their own two feet just to be around you, Hinata."

Hinata blinked rapidly, pink lightly dusting over his freckles. Terushima had to fight the urge to swoon.

"I mean, I have my fair share of friends, and I love them all, but I won't say they're _tripping_ over their own two feet." The middle blocker laughed brightly, seemingly amused by Terushima's assumption. "Why would you think that, anyway?"

Terushima stopped, _physically stopped,_ in the middle of the hallway to gape at the ginger. Was he serious? He had to be kidding. He must be kidding.

One look at Hinata's flushed face told the blond that no, this puppy dog of a human's question was entirely and utterly sincere.

"Hinata," Terushima spoke slowly, making the boy smile at attention. "Shortstack, you're the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Ever. Like, you're _really_ pretty." Hinata perked up slightly at the comment, earnest curiosity sparkling in those honey eyes everyone loved so much. Terushima had to bite the inside of his cheek so he didn't scream.

"You're bubbly, vibrant, kind, your smiles are like freaking _sunshine_ for god's sakes, and so help me if you are not one of the most _popular_ students in Karasuno, I will personally quit volleyball, question life as I know it, and go live in the mountains with eight alpacas."

The hallway was silent for a moment as Hinata soaked everything in with wide eyes, his cheeks growing redder by the second. Terushima, who usually found silence uncomfortable and suffocating, was content watching as different emotions flickered across the ginger's face, ranging from confusion to pure, unbridled joy.

It baffled Terushima to no end. Had no one ever told this boy how utterly adorable and lovable he was? Really? Hell, if he had to be around the literal embodiment of sunshine all day, the blond knew he wouldn't be able to resist showering the ginger in compliments all day long. Terushima made a mental note to yell at Karasuno later for never telling their shorty how amazing he was.

"AWWW! YOU'RE SO COOL!" Hinata snapped out of his daze in an instant, flashed the biggest smile Terushima had ever seen, and ran barrelling into the boy's chest, arms outstretched. "THANK YOU, TERUSHIMA! YOU'RE AMAZING!"

Now, Yuuji Terushima was a touchy person. He'd received his fair share of embraces and affection in his life, but at that moment, he could safely say that Hinata gave the best hugs _ever._ For someone so small, he held so much _warmth_ it was utterly _ridiculous,_ not to mention unfair. Not only that, but Karasuno's number ten was so small that his hair barely tickled Terushima's chin and _ohmygod, it's so freaking fluffy why the actual hell was he even allowed to be in the presence of an angel like this._

Hinata squeezed Terushima's midsection one more time, smiling into his shirt, before pulling off and adjusting his duffle.

"Thanks a lot for the compliments, Terushima." Hinata smiled softly, scratching the curls that were oh so _begging_ the blond to be ruffled. "I don't usually get a lot of those."

"What?! Why?!" Terushima cried as if it were the most outrageous thing he'd ever heard. His eyes were unfocused and glassy, the little sense of dignity he had left shamelessly melting away. "That's ridiculous. You're adorable! Your personality is adorable! ALL OF YOU IS ADORABLE! Do they seriously not compliment you? _Seriously?_ Is there something wrong with their brains? Do they all have concussions or something? Like, they don't do it at all?! Not your looks, not your personality, not your attitude, not your smiles, not-"

A bright peal of laughter interrupted Terushima's babbling, abruptly shutting the blond up as he stared open-mouthed at the flushed, giggling form of Hinata.

"You're nice, Terushima!" He stated, grinning wildly, absolutely melting at the praise. "But don't worry about it! My team may be a bunch of big meanies-" The ginger pouted at that, somehow making it seem endearing instead of mocking. "-but I know they appreciate me. Plus, my looks or personality never really comes up in conversation." He shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. I'm just grateful I get the chance to have so many friends, you know?!"

Terushima stared at him. There was absolutely no way this boy was real. He was selflesson top of _everything else_ that was perfect about him? Un. Real.

"You okay?" Hinata took in the blond's skeptical look, his own soft features morphing into a horrified expression. "Oh, no. Do you not like being touched?" His eyes grew wide at the prospect of displeasing the blond in some way. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have hugged you without knowing if you were okay with it or not, and I-"

Terushima had to physically choke down his heart. "You," He walked forward and grabbed Hinata by the head, unable to resist the temptation of the soft-looking curls any longer. "Are the most precious human on the planet." He ruffled the ginger locks. "I'm 100% serious."

Hinata brushed the comments aside, still looking worriedly at Terushima. "You're nice, but I didn't make you feel uncomfortable or anything, did I?"

Terushima snorted fondly, removing his hand from Hinata's hair. "No way. Don't' sweat it, Shorty. Me and my team are pretty big on hugs and stuff."

"Oh." Hinata smiled in a way that could only be described as relieved. "Good."

And just like that, his usual happy, energetic self was back. "So, we're still gonna see everyone, right!?"

Terushima blinked at the sudden change in volume, though he didn't have any complaints on the matter. "Yeah, if you still wanna."

"Of course I do!" Hinata practically skipped down the hallway, literally doing twirls as he went. "I've never met anyone from Johzenji other than you. It'd be seriously amazing if I got lucky enough to meet the whole team!"

"Oh yeah?" Even if Terushima didn't show it, he was putty in the ginger's hands (along with the rest of the volleyball community, but he didn't know that) "Normally people just look over us because we're not a very well known team or school."

"That's stupid." Hinata transitioned into a walk, getting into place beside Terushima as the two resumed their walking. "I've only seen you guys play a few times, but it always looks like you're having fun!" He made a face. "It's a lot better than some other players. Like my teammate Tsukishima? He's kind of an ass. He says he doesn't really love volleyball, which is ridiculous because _how can you not love volleyball?_ But he always insists that he's playing it just because. It's kind of annoying, but I think he actually likes it and he just doesn't want to admit it."

"Oh yeah?' Terushima thought for a moment. He'd caught a few glances at Karasuno before on television before, and once when he was walking into the complex. "Tall blond guy? Glasses?"

"YES, THAT'S HIM!" Hinata bounced wildly on the balls of his feet. "How'd you know?!"

Terushima snorted. "He looked kinda snooty Shortstack, not gonna lie. His nose was literally turned up in the air when my team walked by him."

"I KNOW RIGHT? WHY DOES HE DO THAT?"

"I couldn't tell ya, kid."

Hinata smiled. "Hmm. I just think that players like you and your team really enjoy the sport and aren't ashamed to admit that, you know? And I think that's really cool!"

"Yeah, we all love it." Terushima paused, momentarily forgetting his urge to squeal like a little girl at the boy's comments. "Isn't your team gonna be worried about you?"

Hinata shrugged. "I don't know. They can freak out over little things for no reason, but Kiyoko can just tell them that I'm with you!"

Terushima wrinkled his nose. "Hot manager girl?"

"Yeah." Hinata scratched his cheek. "Don't call her that in front of Tanaka or Nishinoya, though. I think they would murder you."

Terushima saluted. He had absolutely no idea who those people were, but whatever kept the sunshine child smiling was good enough for him. "You have my word."

Hinata let out a breathy laugh. "Sweet! As long as you don't do that, I'm sure everything'll be fine."

xxx

"EVERYTHING IS NOT FINE!" Daichi was seething. He'd turned around for one second, _one second,_ and Hinata had gone missing. Honestly, of all the times and all the places, it just _had_ to be just after everyone was still high on their victory from before and ready to pack up and go home.

"Daichi, calm down." Suga was busy questioning the other first-years about Hinata's disappearance, which put Asahi in charge of making sure their captain's head didn't blow off. "There's probably a good reason for this, okay? He probably just had to go to the bathroom or something."

Daichi groaned, putting his head in his hands. "He doesn't even have his phone like he did the last time he got lost! What if something happens? He'd probably get into a white van with a stranger if they asked him nicely enough, let's be honest here!

Asahi smiled shakily, the captain's words doing no favors for his nerves or peace of mind. "Uh, maybe don't say that, Daichi? You're starting to sound like Tanaka."

Tanaka rolled his eyes and huffed, but didn't deny it. After all, he'd drawn the very same conclusion in his head the second everyone realized their favorite little ginger was missing.

"Good news." Suga walked back up to the group, the first-years trailing behind him. "It sounds like Hinata just forgot something inside, so he should be out soon."

"The reason he's taking so long is most likely 'cause he ran into Kiyoko." Yamaguchi piped up, scratching his neck. "They're probably walking back right now."

Suga nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. That's what I think happened. It makes the most sense."

"Shouyou's alone with Kiyoko?" Nishinoya whined, crossing his arms and moving to stand next to his fellow second-year.

"Lucky bastard," Tanaka grumbled, mirroring the libero's pose. "Gets to be all alone with Kiyoko while the rest of us are stuck waiting for him."

"If he weren't such a stupid dumbass, none of this would be happening," Kageyama huffed, crossing his arms. "It's like, a bazillion degrees out."

Tsukishima grumbled in response, absentmindedly toeing at a pebble. "He really should be more careful. No one we know is here to help him if he gets lost."

Suga put his hand on the blond's shoulder. "Hinata's a smart kid-"

"He's really not."

"Shut it. This complex isn't that big, so if he does manage to get lost, I'm sure he'll be able to find us in no time."

Kageyama snorted. "Are we not going to take into account the fact that Hinata has an attention span of, like, three seconds? Max?"

"He'll be fine." Tanaka was being uncharacteristically calm, especially considering that fact this his favorite underclassman had gone missing and he had yet to voice any morbid conspiracy theories or predictions about his whereabouts.

"Yeah!" Nishinoya jumped into view in front of Tanaka. "Our loving goddess Kiyoko has him safe in her gentle hands!"

"What about my gentle hands?"

"KIYOKO!" Tanaka and Nishinoya leaped at the woman, arms outstretched with humongous smiles on their faces. Kiyoko sidestepped them with practiced ease, taking a moment to brush herself off before facing the rest of the group.

"Where's Hinata?" She asked after a moment, scanning the volleyball players carefully. "Is he not here?"

Daichi blinked. "Uh, we were about to ask you the same thing." He crinkled his eyes at Kiyoko. "Is he not with you?"

"No." Kiyoko shook her head. "Did he not come back?"

"Come back?" Yamaguchi put up a hand. "So, you saw him?"

The manager nodded. "I did, yes." She scanned the surrounding area with worried eyes. "A guy was asking for my number, earlier. Hinata stepped in and told him to stop bothering me."

"YES! THAT'S MY UNDERCLASSMAN!" Nishinoya whooped, pumping his fists in the air. "WE'VE TAUGHT HIM WELL."

"We certainly have." Tanaka wiped a fake tear from each of his eyes. "Our precious baby crow is finally spreading his wings." He jumped at Nishinoya, latching onto his considerably smaller body, dramatically sobbing crocodile tears. "We truly are the best upperclassmen in the history of ever."

"Uh, hello?" Suga flicked each of the boys on the forehead. "Are we just going to ignore the part where HINATA IS MISSING?"

"Oh." Tanaka froze, his expression morphing into one of pure horror. Suga groaned, realizing his mistake immediately.

"Tanaka, don't-"

"OHMYGOD HINATA IS MISSING! A MILLION THINGS COULD'VE HAPPENED TO HIM! HE COULD'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED BY THE GUY WHO ASKED FOR KIYOKO'S NUMBER! OR HARASSED BY THE GUY WHO ASKED FOR KIYOKO'S NUMBER! OR PUMMELLED FOR STOPPING THE GUY WHO ASKED FOR KIYOKO'S NUMBER! I SWEAR IF THAT GUY LAYS SO MUCH AS A FINGER ON HIM I'LL FU-"

"TANAKA!" Daichi gestured wildly to a shaking Asahi. "YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"

Tanaka whirled around to stare at the captain. "Am I _wrong,_ though? Don't you think that it's a _little bit_ suspicious that the last time Kiyoko saw Hinata was after he told some guy off for asking for her number? We don't even know who this guy is, Daichi! He could be dangerous for all we know! Hell, he's probably with our baby ginger right now!" Tanaka gestured wildly. "Not to mention the fact that Hinata will trust anyone who so much as _speaks_ to him kindly. Does that seriously not worry you guys?!"

"It is...slightly concerning..." Tsukishima muttered, raising his eyes from the ground for the first time since the conversation started. "Kiyoko, what did this guy look like?"

"Um..." Kiyoko thought for a moment. In all honestly, she'd been a little too preoccupied with getting back to the team to focus on his face too much, and she could only remember a few small details. "He was pretty tall, I think. He had blond hair with an undercut and a few piercings. There was one on his tongue if I remember correctly."

"Is this guy a volleyball player?" Kageyama cut in, unable to keep the unease out of his voice. "Have you seen him before?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." Kiyoko grimaced. She was no help to Hinata, and she knew it. Hell, she couldn't even remember the guy's face accurately. How was that going to help them find their smallest first-year? "He wasn't in a uniform when I saw him."

"And you said he had a tongue piercing?" Asahi was physically shaking now, his mind a whirlwind with possibilities of why Hinata was taking so long. "Could this guy be like a thug or something? Someone...dangerous?" He whispered that last word, desperately hoping the middle blocker was safe and unharmed in every way but knowing that it was, given everything they'd heard, a frighteningly possible possibility. "Like, I'm pretty sure a highschooler's parents wouldn't let them get a tongue piercing that early, right?"

Suga's face had gone a pale shade of white, no doubt at the thought of a possible delinquent touching a single hair on his sweet, naive underclassman. "We need to find him." He choked out. It was no secret that Suga had basically adopted Hinata from the very moment he stepped foot into the gym, and ever since then, the setter had had the insatiable urge to _protect_ and _shelter_ the boy from anything and everything he considered evil. Whether that was good or bad, no one knew.

Nishinoya nodded frantically, Tanaka's grip on his arm the only thing keeping the libero from tearing the building down for Hinata's sake. "Agreed. We needed to find him, like, _yesterday_." He groaned. "I _told_ you guys that we should've gone and looked for him sooner! But no, you guys wanted to wait! He's _my_ underclassman, you know!"

"He's all our underclassman, Noya," Daichi answered sharply, sending a glare the libero's way. "And we all care about him as much as you do. So let's stop with the "I told you so's" and actually start looking for him, yeah?" Seeing no objections (obviously), Daichi continued. "The first-years will go as a group, the third-years will go as a group, and the second-years will go as a group. That way, we can still split up and not run the risk of anyone else getting into trouble by themselves."

"Yachi and I will stay behind on the bus in case he comes back." Kiyoko offered, graciously taking the job everyone knew was necessary but no one wanted. It always ended up with whoever was on bus duty worrying themselves silly and then leaving to help search anyway.

Daichi gave a single nod before gesturing to Suga and Asahi to follow him through the double doors in the front of the building. Everyone else quickly fell into step behind the thrid-years as they entered the complex before splitting off into their assigned respective groups with one goal in mind.

Find Hinata, and if he was hurt in any way, punch whoever was responsible. Hard.

xxx

"Here we are!" Terushima dramatically threw open the door to the gym holding his teammates, which was clear on the other side of the complex. Granted, the blond knew the players were probably packing up their things since all the games were over for the day, but they were always happy to keep going if someone asked them to.

"Teru?" Bobata raised an eyebrow at the captain's sudden reappearance, taking in his flushed face and slightly dazed eyes. "What're you doing here?"

"And who is _that?"_ Futamata pointed at Hinata with wide eyes, having been the first to catch a glimpse of the orange curls peeking out behind the captain's body. Terushima smiled slyly before moving out of the way so his team could get a more unobstructed view of the player he'd deemed an angel, relishing the way everyone's jaws positively _dropped._

"Oh!" Hinata offered a wave and a shining smile. The way Higashiyama fell over at the sight didn't go unnoticed by the grinning captain. "I'm Hinata Shouyou, a first-year at Karasuno. Nice to meet all of you!"

"Uh-huh." Bobata now understood very _very_ clearly why Terushima's eyes looked so glossed over. Those smiles were like staring at the freaking sun. "Yeah. Awesome. Great. By the way, _you're fucking adorable."  
_

"ISN'T HE!" Terushima gestured proudly at the ginger as if he were responsible for the existence of this puppy-dog-like child and not just someone who happened to run into him under less than ideal circumstances. "Apparently, no one's ever told him that before."

"Seriously?" Now it was Numajiri's turn to yell. "What, is Karasuno blind or something?"

Hinata laughed at that, and most of Johzenji had to _physically_ put effort into keeping themselves standing. "Wow, you guys are super nice too!" He ran a hand through his curls in an attempt to smooth them down. "Seriously, it's no wonder I admire Johzenji."

Tsuchiyu choked, Izaki's jaw dropped, Bobata fell to the floor, Futamata actively resisted the urge to hug the boy and never let go, Higashiyama focused all of his energy into keeping his heart from jumping out of his throat, Numajiri looked like he was about to start crying, and Terushima smirked _oh so satisfactory_ because his teammates had fallen for the ginger just as quick as he had.

"You...admire us?" Tsuchiyu asked breathlessly, staring at the ginger as if he'd just offered to cut off his right arm. "But we're not...well known and...why?"

Hinata shrugged. "Because you guys seem to really have fun with volleyball! You put a lot of enthusiasm and easygoingness into your games and stuff, and I think that's how it should be, not super serious." The answer slipped off his tongue smooth as silk, not a stutter or a hint of doubt anywhere.

Everyone's heart clenched in ways that couldn't be described as uncomfortable.

"So, whadda you say?" Terushima spread his arms at his teammates, still feeling the effects of Hinata's praise but doing a better job of recovering since it was nowhere _near_ as heart-melting as the hug he'd received earlier. "Any objections to staying here a little longer to get a chance to play with Shortstack here?"

Everyone shook their heads rapidly, signaling that no, there was not a single objection to staying late and messing around longer than they needed to, to which Hinata rewarded them with another heart-shattering beam made of sunshine and rainbows.

"Awesome!" Granted, Hinata himself just got done playing his own match (against a freaking giant no less), but it was a well-known fact that the kid had stamina for days, and could easily play volleyball nonstop for the better part of five hours before getting tired, and still, his stubbornness would win out, and he would go for another three before collapsing in a tangle of limbs and sweat. "I'm ready when you are."

xxx

It was almost comical how easily Hinata fell into the dynamic of the team. The kid was a hyperactive ball of pure energy and cheeriness, aka, a _perfect_ fit for the Johzenji. He was loud (but in a good way), encouraging, willing to try whatever the team had in mind, and was just so freaking happy at the prospect of something as little as playing volleyball even though he did it nearly every single day.

"How the hell did you find this kid?" Bobata and Terushima stood off to the side while Hinata and the other members chatted excitedly about what new trick they wanted to experiment with next.

Terushima snorted. "Funny story. I was trying to get his manager's number, and he told me off."

Bobata laughed openly at that. "Oh yeah? I'm surprised you didn't sock him in the face or something."

"I'd be surprised if anyone would be capable of socking him in the face." Terushima scratched his cheek and scrunched his eyes. "It'd be like kicking a puppy."

"Hmm." The two lapsed into silence, watching Hinata repeatedly spring into the air in an attempt to teach Futamata how to jump as high as he could. It was utterly ridiculous and obviously futile, but it was pretty funny to watch. "Dude, like, how is he real?"

"Whatcha mean?" Terushima asked, even though he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew precisely was his teammate was talking about. After all, he'd been wondering the same thing for the better part of thirty minutes.

"I mean like...it seems kinda unfair, right?" Bobata raised an eyebrow. "Like, Hinata's freaking adorable, that much is clear, but his personality is awesome too? How is that fair? Not to mention the fact that he's just generally fun to be around, and I've only known him for like ten minutes! And his _smiles,_ Teru. I mean, _what the actual hell,_ you know?"

"Yeah." Terushima knew all too well. "I've yet to find a flaw in him at all." He smirked at brunette out of the corner of his eye. "And if you think his smiles are amazing, you should try his hugs."

"He _hugged_ you!" No matter how hard Bobata tried, he couldn't even begin to imagine what the sheer bliss of a Hinata hug would feel like. It would be warm, no doubt. Probably really really reassuring, the kind that makes people's problems melt away with a single touch. It'd probably be firm too, but not too firm so that it hurt. Oh god, Bobata couldn't even stand it. "Really? Why?"

Terushima smiled smugly, soaking in Bobata's jealous expression. "I complimented him on his looks. Obviously." He raised a cocky eyebrow at his teammate, making the latter's eye twitch. "Apparently, it was the first time anyone had ever done so."

"That's freaking stupid," Bobata grumbled, avoiding all eye contact from Terushima. " _I_ complimented him too, you know."

Terushima snorted. "Yeah, but I went _in-depth_ about why he was adorable. Like, it was presentation worthy, I'm not even kidding. I could achieve world peace with speeches like those."

Bobata laughed at the statement, knowing full well that Terushima considered practically anything presentation worthy. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a puppy crush." He waggled his eyebrow at the captain, making the latter scoff.

"Uh, _duh._ Do you not? He's a ball of sunshine, for god's sakes!" Terushima pointed his nose into the air. "Besides, it's not like I want to date him or anything. It's just that he's the most precious thing I've ever laid my eyes on."

Bobata snorted. "Gay."

Terushima raised a challenging eyebrow. "Do you disagree?"

Bobata opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "No."

"Hm. Thought so."

"Hey, Bobata!" Both pairs of eyes shoot down to the ginger standing a few feet in front of them, the rest of the team in the background trying and failing to imitate Hinata's jump. "Can you do me a favor?"

Bobata nodded mutely, all coherent thoughts flying out of his head completely. God, what he'd ever done to be blessed with the presence of the literal sun was beyond him, but he was eternally grateful nonetheless.

"You're a middle blocker too, right?"

Again, Bobata nodded. At the moment, the brunette's mouth had gone dry, and his brain was no doubt short-circuiting.

"Cool!" There were literal sparkles in Hinata's eyes, and Bobata had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting on them. Usually, like the rest of his teammates, he would speak his mind whenever he pleased, but he did not doubt that if he got off on a rant about how adorable the ginger was, he wouldn't be able to stop. "If it's okay with you, could you show me your technique a bit?" Hinata smiled sheepishly. "I wanna see if there's anything I can incorporate into my own blocking style."

"Nggh...uh, sorry, I mean, yeah." There was just something so endearing about the way he asked for help that Bobata found he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to. He didn't, of course, and managed to regain enough sense to shoot Terushima a slightly smug smile over his shoulder and follow the ginger to the other side of the net.

Terushima, who was slightly surprised to find himself a teensy bit hurt over the fact that Hinata had asked Bobata to practice instead of him even though Bobata _was_ a middle blocker, made his way over to the rest of the team, who had all given up fairly quickly in trying to replicate Hinata's insane jumping power.

"Yo." Higashiyama greeted the captain with a light punch to the shoulder, to which Terushima reciprocated. "We have something to ask you."

"Yeah?" Terushima flexed his fingers. "Shoot."

"Okay." Higashiyama's face took on an uncharacteristically serious expression. "Just so you know, we are in no way joking about any of this." Seeing Terushima's nod, he continued. "So we've been talking, and like, do you think Karasuno would _mind_ if we just...didn't give him back?"

Terushima blinked. "Probably."

"But like..." Higashiyama gestured to the surrounding members. "Are you down with it?"

"Oh yeah, I'm _totally_ down with keeping the Shortstack." The blond said seriously, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. "It's almost like he's made for this team."

"RIGHT?!" Tsuchiyu nodded wildly. "He would fit in flawlessly. He's like a hyperactive, orange puppy."

"I think I may have heard of Hinata before, actually, now that I think about it." All eyes turned to Numajiri, who was staring off into space as if remembering something important. "I vaguely remember someone telling me that a certain small player has Ushijima wrapped around his little finger. They didn't say who or what he looked like, but based on today I'm betting it's Hinata."

"Not surprising, considering who we're dealing with," Terushima muttered, casting a sidelong glance at the pair of middle blockers. _The_ Ushiwaka and Hinata Shouyou? Now that was a strange pair. "I'd honestly be more surprised if he didn't."

"It's kinda infuriating." Futamata murmured. "We only met him about twenty minutes ago, and already I'm fairly certain I'd walk through fire for him."

"Hm. Ditto."

"Same."

"Yeah, I think so."

"Mood."

"Lowkey relatable, though."

Choruses of agreement sounded throughout the gym, all eyes on the two middle blockers practicing their jumps.

"Just so we're clear," Izaka started, shifting his gaze to the captain. "You are cool with keeping him, right?"

Terushima rolled his eyes. It was ridiculous they even had to _ask._ "Obviously. Who wouldn't be?"

"Yeah. Fair point." Izaka scrunched up his face. "I wonder if we can bribe him with sweets or something. He kinda looks like a sugary kinda guy to me."

Futamata nodded. "Yeah, but I think I'd faint from adorableness if I saw Hinata eating candy." His eyes went wide, no doubt imagining the adorable ginger surrounded by bucketfuls of sweet, fluffy treats. "I'm serious."

"Yeah, he's too pretty for his own go-"

"HINATA!" A raven-haired boy burst into the gym, a freckled-faced kid and the boy Terushima recognized as Tsukishima close on his heels. Wordlessly, the black-haired boy tackled the ginger onto the floor, face furious but eyes undeniably relieved. The team watched open-mouthed as the two exchanged what looked like particularly harsh insults before the blue-eyed boy turned to the majority of the Johzenji team, his gaze freezing them on the spot.

"Did you hurt him?" His voice was cold, and his eyes had morphed into something scary and unforgiving. Terushima rolled his eyes. Ah, if this guy was the kind of person on Hinata's team, it was no wonder compliments were a rarity.

"Nope." Terushima's annoyed tone was enough to make the boy's eyes narrow further. "There's not a scratch on him."

"There better not be." He muttered darkly, pulling Hinata to his feet and promptly shoving him towards the door. Terushima could see the ginger trying to protest, but ultimately stopping as Tsukishima sent an icy glare his way.

The closing of the gym door seemed all too loud.

"Well," Bobata finally broke the stunned silence. "Guess that throws the plan of keeping him right out the window."

Higashiyama scoffed. "How would you know? You weren't even a part of that discussion."

Bobata rolled his eyes and ducked under the net to join the rest of his team. After all, he had zero motivation to keep practicing his jumps if Hinata wasn't doing it with him. "I'm not an idiot. That thought crossed my mind, like, the very second we met him."

Futamata just hummed in response, keeping his eyes trained on the doors the four Karasuno members had exited (more like forced in Hinata's case) through. "Do you think we'll see him again?"

"I should hope so." Terushima gestured to the ginger's duffle lying discarded by the volleyball cart. "His teammates dragged him out of here before he could even gather his stuff. Plus," He waggled his eyebrows. "I got Shorty's number."

"Oh, thank god, please give it to me."

"And me."

"And me."

"And me."

"And me."

"And me."

There was a small silence as Terushima sent Hinata's contact to everyone's phone.

And then...

"Is it gay to think a dude is kinda gorgeous, but, like, platonically?"

"Nah."

"Sweet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! I know I missed my baby's birthday on June 21st, but I will write a belated birthday chapter for him! I love you guys, and please stay safe.


	15. Can We Keep Him? (karasuno edition)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pretty widely requested fic of Karasuno's first encounters with the 'real' Hinata
> 
> Enjoy everyone, and happy 4th

Encounter #1- Kageyama

Kageyama had been the first member of the Karasuno team to fall victim to Hinata charm, which was everyone thought was surprising but made a lot of sense.

It was a little shocking because if someone were to look at Hinata and Kageyama interacting daily, they would've immediately concluded that they hated each other. Their day to day banter included jabs at each other's skills, name-calling, imitating, complaining, hitting, kicking, and an endless amount of head-grabbing.

In general, Kageyama was often perceived as someone with a stone-cold demeanor who occasionally kicked puppies and wouldn't help a stray kitten down from a tree.

In reality, he was just a workaholic and a perfectionist with the attitude of a five-year-old who sometimes threw temper tantrums, which perfectly complimented Hinata's sunshiny disposition and drive to perfect everything he did. Basically, he and Hinata fit like two pieces of a puzzle, which was why the fact that he was the first to fall into the trap of sunshine and rainbows otherwise known as Hinata Shouyou's friendship wasn't at all unexpected

It had happened at the very beginning of their time at Karasuno.

Kageyama's first interaction with Hinata's charm hadn't involved any words. Kageyama was never good at words anyway. Maybe it was his appearance, perhaps it was just the fact that he wasn't used to it, but even the occasional compliments that came out of his mouth always somehow sounded like insults.

The fact that the first time Kageyama had witnessed Hinata's charm had been without using words was the reason he could pinpoint it so accurately. He never admitted it though, just for the sake of keeping up his rivalry with Hinata and sparing himself the teasing he would surely get from him and a certain stingy blond.

It had been the first time Kageyama had ever sent Hinata a set. The ginger had been begging for it since the day they first met, and at that point, it was kind of getting on the setter's nerves, so he tossed it on a whim, not really thinking it through. Besides, Hinata had been clear on the other side of the court when he'd done it, so he figured there was no way he'd be able to spike it in time.

Long story short, he was wrong. It was the greatest mistake of his life.

Hinata had run up the net so fast that Kageyama hadn't even had time to blink before he smashed the ball down on the other side, face erupting into the most heart-melting smile the setter had ever seen.

It didn't help when the middle blocker started showering him in a rain of praise afterwards.

"That was amazing, Kageyama! It just felt so right! It came straight into my hand, just like WOOSH, and I was able to hit it like GWAH!" Hinata's eyes were, quite literally, sparkling. Kageyama found it getting harder and harder to breathe. "That was awesome! I can see why they called you King of the Court!"

"Uh-huh..." He couldn't even comment on his old nickname, too focused on keeping himself upright at the moment to pay attention to anything else.

"Can you toss to me again?!" Hinata was bouncing from one foot to the other in childlike excitement, looking up at Kageyama like he hung the stars in the sky. "Just one more time before we leave?"

"Yeah..." Kageyama wanted to refuse, he really did. He just wanted to go home and pretend like the hyperactive ginger he'd been trying so hard to ignore hadn't just wormed his way into his heavily guarded heart with a single smile. Still, at that moment, he found it utterly impossible to say no to those pleading eyes and hopeful beam.

When the setter came into practice the next day insisting that Hinata had powers of hypnotism, everyone had just laughed it off, chalking it up to one of his usual strange conclusions without context.

Still, nobody could miss the way Kageyama always looked a little more dazed every time he sent the ginger a toss.

xxx

Encounter #2- Nishinoya

"Which ice cream place are we going to?" Hinata eagerly followed Nishinoya through the empty streets near their school, bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation.

"There's one like five minutes from here, I think." Nishinoya couldn't help but grin at Hinata's enthusiasm. He'd already taken a liking to the boy ever since he'd referred to him as "upperclassman", and he'd noticed that their personalities were quite similar. They both had endless bouts of stamina and even more enthusiasm, though judging by volleyball practice and the way the ginger was still jumping all around, it seemed his energy surpassed the libero's by a considerable margin. In retrospect, Nishinoya knew getting an already hyper highschooler two ice creams wasn't the _best_ idea in the world, but what kind of upperclassman would he be if he backed out on his promise?

Besides, the childlike delight the kid was showing was honestly endearing, and even though Nishinoya knew he wasn't necessarily responsible for it, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of pride that the prospect of getting ice cream had the middle blocker so excited.

"Thanks for taking me, Noya." Hinata grinned at him, and the libero could've sworn his heart skipped a few beats. "Don't tell anyone, but you're my favorite upperclassman."

Nishinoya's brain short-circuited.

Literally.

With just a few words, the brunette's world narrowed down to the sunshiny ginger with a heart of gold.

Literally.

Nishinoya stopped short on the sidewalk. Let it be known that he was _never_ speechless. He always had too much to say, so many opinions and ideas that he wanted to get out, but at that moment, all the words in his brain fizzled out in an instant, disappearing from his mouth and mind completely.

Holy.

Freaking.

Hell.

_Hinata said he was his favorite upperclassman._

Without thinking, Nishinoya scooped Hinata up into an enormous hug, not even bothering to resist his urges since he knew he wouldn't be able to anyway.

"SHOUYOUU!" He wailed, ignoring the boy's startled yelp before pausing for a moment. "I can call you Shouyou, right?"

"Yep! Totally!" Having gotten over his initial surprise, Hinata returned the embrace with just as much vigor and warmth. "Call me whatever you want, Mr. _Upperclassman_!"

Nishinoya swooned all over again, the title making his head hurt and heart fuzzy with warmth, unable to keep in the hearty laugh that escaped from his throat. "How're you feeling about three ice creams today, Shouyou?"

"REALLY?!" The smile Hinata shot right in Nishinoya's face was the final straw for the libero, who nodded vigorously and promised his underclassman that he could get as many sweets as he wanted.

After he'd walked Hinata home, Nishinoya had called Tanaka and sobbed into the phone for an hour about the whole ordeal.

At practice the next day, Kageyama had taken one look at the libero's slightly dazed expression as they watched the ginger and said, "You too, huh?"

All Nishinoya could do was nod. He made a silent promise to himself that day. He was going to be the best upperclassman _ever._

xxx

Encounter #3- Tanaka

Tanaka's first interaction with the 'real' Hinata happened under...less than ideal circumstances. After Nishinoya's impromptu phone call ranting about how perfect Hinata was and how _he'd call him his favorite upperclassman,_ Tanaka was understandably a little upset. The little shrimp had just met Nishinoya a day ago, and the libero was already ranked _above_ him? That was simply unacceptable!

Who helped Hinata and Kageyama secretly use the gym when they weren't allowed to? He did.

Who was on their team for the three on three matches? He was.

Who had been nothing up supportive and helpful since the day he'd met the Shortypants? _He was._

The wing spiker wanted some answers, and fast.

"SHORTYPANTS." His voice made everyone in the gym jump. "OUTSIDE. NOW."

Hinata, bless his heart, nodded a quick apology to Daichi before following Tanaka's orders without a second thought. The spiker felt his heart soften _just_ a little at the utterly puppy-like display but shook the feeling off once remembering he was supposed to be mad at him. He briefly caught a glance of Nishinoya's glare and Kageyama's curious expression as the two left the gym, but didn't pay them any mind.

"What's up, Tanaka?" The pair were standing right by the vending machine.

Tanaka cleared his throat, trying to focus on the fact that he was supposed to be _angry_ at his underclassman. Right. Anger. All he wanted was an explanation, nothing more.

"So, I was talking to Nishinoya yesterday." He paused, waiting for a reaction. Seeing as Hinata produced none, he continued. "And we were chatting about some things, as bros do, and he told me you said he was your favorite upperclassman."

Hinata blinked, nodded once, then smiled straight in Tanaka's face. "Yeah, I remember! He got me like three ice creams." He scratched his cheek, eyes bright and grin wide. "The place was really good. You should try it sometime!"

All the things Tanaka had been prepared to say died in his throat, eyes widening a significant margin as he stared at the ginger. What the _hell_ was that? His underclassman can't just... _unleash_ a smile like that in the middle of a serious talk! That's wasn't fair! How is the wing spiker supposed to be mad at him if he's going to pull something like _that_ every time he tried to be?

"Hm." Hinata, still utterly oblivious to the effect his smile had on his upperclassman, blinked innocently up at him. "Why do you bring that up?"

"Uh..." Tanaka suddenly felt very sheepish about the whole situation. He'd fully expected Hinata to instantly defend himself when he brought up his earlier statement, immediately try to take back his words, and insist he didn't mean it without invalidating anyone's feelings, but instead, he just nodded and accepted it. Tanaka didn't know if that was better or worse than what he'd predicted, but it sure made him feel stupid about bringing the whole situation up when Hinata was clearly unaffected by it. "I mean...I guess I thought I was your favorite upperclassman?"

"Awww, Tanaka!" Hinata launched himself at his teammate, wrapping his arms around his middle before he could protest. "Don't be jealous! It changes every day! Nishinoya is my favorite right now because he got me ice cream, but you were my favorite for the rest of the time since you were helping Bakayama and me in the gym!" He grinned up at Tanaka, making the older choke audibly. "Don't worry. You're still just as awesome right now as you were then! It just changes every once in a while if someone does something kind for me, not because I love any of my upperclassmen any less!"

And with a final squeeze, Hinata flounced back into the gym, leaving Tanaka totally and utterly starstruck with a single thought running through his head: _I would die for this kid._

When Tanaka slinked into the gym a few minutes later, having taken a bit of time to regain control of his senses, the first thing he did was saunter over to Nishinoya to whisper in his ear.

"Hinata says your only his favorite upperclassman because you got him ice cream. You better bet your sorry ass that I'm taking that title back right after practice today."

And thus, the long-raging battle of "who can be Hinata's favorite upperclassman" began.

xxx

Encounter #4- Yamaguchi

Unlike everyone else, the way Hinata unintentionally charmed his way into Yamaguchi's heart wasn't with bright smiles, unyielding compliments, or even his undeniable adorableness. It was merely by being at the right place at the right time, and the pinch server would, forever and always, be eternally grateful for it.

Yamaguchi had been walking home with Tsukishima, as he always did. Of course, the pair weren't neighbors or anything, so after a few blocks, they always bid farewell to each other and headed their separate ways.

They'd been going through this ritual every night for nearly two weeks, ever since they'd started going to Karasuno, and neither had had any problem with it before. After about five blocks, Tsukishima would turn left, and Yamaguchi would keep going straight. It was routine. It was normal. It was fine.

Until one night, when Tsukishima was out of sight, Yamaguchi simply broke down.

That was how Hinata had found him, about seven blocks away from the school, sitting against a lamppost with his head in his hands and shoulders shaking with soft sobs. Hinata knew precisely what it was. He'd been through enough of them after his dad had died. It was an anxiety attack, clear as day.

"Hey, hey, hey, shhh." Hinata rushed over to his friend and kneeled in front of him, eyes frantic. "Can I touch you? Is that okay?"

Yamaguchi nodded slowly, undeterred by Hinata's sudden arrival. Whether he simply didn't care or because he was too much in his head to feel embarrassed, Hinata didn't know, but he certainly wasn't going to ask now. He slowly moved his hands up to cup Yamaguchi's face, keeping his movements slow and predictable so as to not freak the boy out more.

"Yama, I'm going to count, okay?" He didn't wait for a reply. "I'm going to need you to breathe with me as I do, alright? I know it's scary, but I've got you. I got you." He maneuvered himself, so Yamaguchi's back was now resting against his chest. It was a bit of an awkward position since the latter was so much taller than the former, but Hinata made it work. "One...two...three...four...five...you're doing great, Yama, just breathe with me, okay?"

Slowly but surely, Yamaguchi's breathing steadied, and his body relaxed, practically melting into Hinata's hold. His hair was mussed, and his eyes were red with tears, but he was okay, and that was the only thing that mattered to Hinata right now.

"Are you alright?" Hinata asked quietly, warping his arms around Yamaguchi and nuzzling his shoulder. The pinch server noded, not trusting himself to speak. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Yamaguchi swallowed, trying to ignore the tightening in his throat and the tears that threatened to spill over. "I..."

"Shhh," Hinata sensed his discomfort quickly, opting to press a light kiss to Yamaguchi's collarbone. He usually only reserved those for very close friends and such, but he could tell his teammate needs some reassurance right now. "You're okay. It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. You're safe. Everything is fine."

Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, Yamaguchi whipped around to unleash a fresh set of sobs into Hinata's shoulder, to which the ginger just smiled sadly and rubbed his back in circular motions, pressing a chaste kiss here and there with the intent of soothing the boy.

"You're okay." He said. He'd said it a lot tonight, but he didn't care. He'd say it a hundred times if he needed to. "You're alright. Everyone loves you. Tsukishima loves you. I love you. The team loves you. You're perfect. But you need someone to unload stuff to so you can avoid these attacks, okay Yama? The next time something like this happens again, call me, alright? I'll drop everything to help you, Yama, I promise, and don't you dare think me doing this for you is burdening me, and yes, I know you think that because that's exactly how I was when I used to get these, okay? You're alright. You're alright. You're safe."

"Thank you." It was soft and hoarse, but Yamaguchi meant it, and that was all that mattered.

xxx

Encounter #5- Suga

Suga hadn't interacted with Hinata much when he'd first joined the Karasuno volleyball team. Yes, looking at the boy from a distance always stirred some weird paternal instinct within him, but he could never really figure out why. He didn't know the ginger that well, which was to be expected since they'd only known each other for about two weeks.

Needless to say, when Suga fell for Hinata's charm, he fell fast. And _hard._

Kageyama had been absent for the day, much to the annoyance of a particular ginger blocker since it was their turn for cleaning duty before packing up and going home. Daichi had suggesting forcing Tsukishima to help Hinata with it, mainly because the blond had been testing the captain's patience all practice, but Suga had graciously stepped in at the last minute to offer his services. He'd never really minded cleaning, and it'd be an excellent way to get to know the small decoy Tanaka and Nishinoya had taken such a liking to.

"Suga?"

"Hm?" Suga looked up from the volleyball cart, eyes flitting to the clock before landing back on Hinata. They'd only been cleaning for about fifteen minutes. "What is it?"

"Do you hear rain?"

Sure enough, if the setter strained his ears, he could indeed hear the pitter-patter of rainfall upon the roof of the gym. It didn't sound like a full-on onslaught, but it definitely wasn't just a drizzle. Suga furrowed his brow. He could only hope that all of his teammates had made it home safe. Being trapped in this storm didn't sound good.

"Yeah, I do." He said, finally answering Hinata's question.

"Oh." Hinata was oddly quiet. For the duration of the time they'd been cleaning up, the kid had been all sunshine and energy, even going as far as to challenge the older in a race to see who could pick up the most balls first, to which Suga could proudly say he won fair and square. Still, there was a faraway look in the ginger's eye that the setter wasn't quite sure he liked.

"Are you alright?" The third-years studied Hinata's uneasy face before his eyes widened slightly with realization. "Don't worry. I'm not going to let you bike back in this storm by yourself. I'll drive you once we're finished up here."

Hinata offered a shaky smile. "Um, that's not really-" A loud clap of thunder cut him off abruptly, and before Suga could even blink, and pair of arms were wrapped around his stomach, and a face was buried in his chest.

"Oh, baby..." Suga curled around the younger, gently sitting down against the back wall. "Are you afraid of thunder?"

Suga could feel Hinata frown into his chest. "'m not, just-" the setter's shirt muffled his yelp as another loud BANG was hear from outside. Hinata pressed his entire body into Suga's, trembling, and the grey-haired man's heart couldn't help but simultaneously break and swell just a bit.

"You're okay, Hinata." Suga buried his face into the ginger curls, smiling into his hair as he felt his teammate relax at the small sign of affection. He carefully maneuvered both of their bodies, so Hinata was curled up in his lap with his face fully hidden in his t-shirt, arms still wrapped around Suga and clutching the fabric desperately.

Hinata flinched as another clap of thunder echoed throughout the gymnasium, making Suga cuddle the boy tighter, practically cooing at him. "Hinata? Do you think you can plug your ears for me?" The only response he gets is the ginger's hands tightening on the cloth of his shirt. Suga smiled softly and gently started scratching the middle blocker's scalp. "Baby, I know it's hard, but it'll make the thunder a lot better, okay?"

After a few seconds of deliberation, Hinata slowly moved his fingers up to his ears, effectively plugging him and quieting the thunder a significant margin. Still, he didn't move from his position cuddled up against Suga, and the man didn't want him to.

At that moment, the setter swore up and down that he'd take it upon himself to protect this precious child from anything and everything he deemed necessary, whether it be future thunderstorms or kidnapping attempts.

And thus, Suga's unofficial official adoption of Hinata Shouyou began.

xxx

Encounter #6- Asahi

It was honestly surprising that Asahi didn't fall victim to Hinata's charm sooner, given the fact that he (quite literally) will cry over spilled milk. Because of his gentle nature and soft heart, it was a wonder he was the sixth person out of their team to fall into the inescapable trap known as Hinata's friendship. The only reason Asahi had gotten exposed in the first place was because he'd noticed that Suga had started coddling the boy like crazy, even though he'd only known him for about two weeks.

Asahi hadn't known any of the first-years for very long, just a little under two and a half weeks, but if the ginger could get Suga's 'motherly' instincts to react like _that_ under the most random of circumstances, there had to be something special about him.

Well, that or the fact that he had a childlike face, but Asahi mostly suspected the former.

Another thing Asahi knew about the resident ball of energy was the fact that he was a _very_ touchy person with anyone and everyone he came across. Whether he'd just met them or if they'd been best friends for years, the middle blocker wouldn't hesitate to throw an arm around someone and start hugging the life out of them.

It was a well-known fact among the team, even those who didn't know Hinata or any of the first-years yet, but Asahi couldn't contain his yelp when he felt a two arms curl around his shoulder, and a pair of legs latch onto his back.

"I-Hinata?"

"Yep!" Hinata's voice was chirpy as always. "Suga said you wanted to talk to me."

Asahi craned his neck to glare at his fellow third-year who was standing on the other side of the nets with his arms crossed and a devious smirk plastered on his face. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, he'd told the setter he wanted to get to know Hinata a little better, but on his own terms, not those of Sugawara Koushi and his (surprisingly) twisted mind.

Asahi just huffed. Might as well give it to the kid straight and regret it later. "Look-"

"WOAH, ASAHI! YOU'RE SO TALL!"

The ace clamped his jaw shut instantly. He may want to get to know his underclassman on his own time, but the unadulterated excitement in the ginger's voice was more than enough to melt Asahi's gentle heart.

"Is this how you see things every day? Everyone looks so small! Wait, how do _I_ look from this height?" Hinata erupted into an unrestrained fit of giggles, and Asahi nearly choked and died right there.

Oh. _Oh._ No wonder Suga had taken such a liking to this kid. He was _adorable._

The extra weight on the older's back disappeared so suddenly that Asahi almost fell over, but not before Hinata circled around to face him properly and smiled _right_ into his face.

This kid was a literal puppy. Hinata Shouyou was a literal puppy. _Ohmygod._

"No wonder you're such a good ace!" He chirped, and that was the final straw.

Asahi had fainted that day. The sheer intensity of Hinata's smile doubled with the pure praise was too much for the giant softy to handle.

xxx

Encounter #7- Daichi

It had been a shitty day at practice.

Everything had been going wrong, nobody had been taking anything seriously, and Daichi was _fed up_ with every single one of his teammates, including Suga, which was rare.

So, naturally, as any pissed captain would do, he'd made all of his teammates line up on the baseline and had taken his sweet time yelling at each of them individually, painstakingly listing every single thing they'd done wrong that day and scolding them relentlessly for it, as well as making them promise that it would never happen again. He never stuttered while dishing out his infamous rants, nor did he feel bad once he did.

He'd started at the beginning of the line and gone down from there, having already thoroughly scolded Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Suga, Tsukishima, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi (all in that order), and was just finishing up his scolding for Kageyama, which admittedly wasn't as bad as the others since the boy had been passive and basically expressionless all day. Still, it lasted a good five minutes, and by the end of it, the only thing the poor first-year could do was mutter an apology and promise to take practice more seriously.

All of the members stood stock still on the baseline, knowing that if any one of them so much as breathed wrong with Daichi in this state, he'd erupt into a whole new lecture about 'disrespecting your captains' or something.

Daichi inhaled deeply before turning his attention to the little ginger at the very end of the line, ready to deliver yet another expertly executed lecture when...

"Sorry."

The apology was soft and unexpected, but it was enough to make Daichi's words die in his throat. Hinata's fingers fiddled with the hem of his shirt in anticipation as he started up at the captain with those bright honey eyes filled with genuine remorse. Seeing Daichi'a gaze on him, the ginger offered a soft, slightly nervous smile his direction, silently urging him to get the scolding out of the way as quickly as possible.

Daichi stared at him for a long moment, wholeheartedly taking the boy in for the first time since meeting two and a half weeks ago. He practically exuded innocence. Freckles dotted his baby face; curls were matted to his forehead and sticking up every which way, and, even though he was about to be yelled at, his puppy-dog eyes held an unextinguishable sparkle of happiness.

That right there was someone who looked like they'd never experienced the horrors of the modern world firsthand.

Daichi couldn't do it. One look at Hinata's honest, genuine eyes made whatever lecture or rant he had stored in the back of his mind fizzle out. Yelling at this boy was unthinkable, that was for damn sure.

"It's okay." He turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone's dismissed."

He did his best to ignore the incredulous cries from his teammates and 'I told you so' smirks from Suga as he exited the gym.

And thus, Daichi's unofficial official adoption of Hinata Shouyou began, as well as his unofficial official 'marriage' to Suga as Hinata's parent.

xxx

Encounter #8, 9, and 10- Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita

If you were to ask the trio when exactly they'd been exposed to Hinata's unmatched charisma, all three would have different answers, explanations, and situations. The only things they were sure of was the fact that they'd been together when it'd happened, and it had involved an adorable kitten sneeze.

It was pretty self-explanatory, but Ennoshita swore his head almost exploded from the amount of serotonin he'd received when he'd heard it. Narita and Kinoshita agreed wholeheartedly.

xxx

Encounter #11- Tsukishima

It wasn't precisely about when Tsukishima had been exposed to Hinata's charm. It was more about when he'd stopped resisting it.

The blond had seen the ginger smile and laugh more times than he could honestly count. He'd been showered in compliments by him and been at the receiving end of those irresistible puppy dog eyes. The experiences he'd been subjected to would make a grown man putty in the decoy's hands, but if Tsukishima was one thing, it was stubborn as hell.

Every time he looked at Hinata, without fail, Tsukishima would always push away the fuzzy feeling in his chest, ignore his constricting heart, and force down the smiles and fond eyes that threatened to show when interacting with the epitome of happiness.

Tsukishima knew his teammates had running bets about how long it was going to take before he broke. Hinata's lovability had become painfully apparent to practically the entire school in the short span of the three weeks he'd been at Karasuno. As far as the blond knew, he was the only one in practically the whole school the ginger didn't have wrapped around his little finger. Hell, if Hinata asked to be excused from homework in favor of playing volleyball, Tsukishima was pretty sure the teachers would allow it.

It was one thing for Hinata to have the entire student body at his beck and call, but the fact that he was _completely and utterly oblivious_ to it all was another entirely. It honestly infuriated the blond to some extent. Hinata had people tripping over their own two feet to do something as trivial as _talking_ to him, and he didn't even notice it.

It didn't help that the ginger greeted anyone and everyone with a cheery smile and a brief exchange of words, high fives, hugs, or elaborate handshakes. It only increased his popularity tenfold. Plus, Tsukishima knew that about a quarter of the first-years had a crush on Hinata, because of course, like the angle he was, he had been very open about the fact that he "didn't have a preference when it came to dating," and he "loves everyone no matter who they are or what they look like!"

Deep, deep down, Tsukishima knew that falling into Hinata's trap of friendship was inevitable. Of course, it was. No matter how hard he tried, the blond could never quite shake the instinctive urge to keep the boy away from any potential danger, to keep those happy smiles everyone loved so much on his face.

Tsukishima was honestly a little disgusted about it, considering he prided himself on being a snarky asshole with no emotional attachments (except Yamaguchi. He was the exception) and the ability to tear anyone down with a few well-delivered insults. Feelings had never really been his cup of tea, and seeing those sparkling eyes and sunshine beams directed straight at him was, for lack of a better term, a humongous sensory overload.

Still, he'd kept resisting out of spite. He kept pretending that he hated the ginger (even though the prospect of _anyone_ hating Hinata was absurd to him), just because he wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing he'd won the blond over (even though Tsukishima knew the older wouldn't get any pleasure because _he didn't know he was doing it ohmygod it was so frustrating.)_

Though Tsukishima knew what he was doing wasn't rational or practical in any way, shape, or form, he soldiered on.

It wasn't about when he'd first been subjected to Hinata's charm. It was about whether he decided to admit it or not.

In one of the _very_ dark corners of Tsukishima's mind, the blond knew full well that he had been trapped in Hinata's inescapable web of friendship long ago, ever since the very first time the ginger had endearingly thanked him for their practice match at the very beginning of the school year.

But, for the sake of his pride, he'd keep pretending for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! This chapter is admittedly not my favorite or my best, but I'm rather fond of it. I just wanna address a few things here real quick. Constructive criticism is awesome, and if you have any for me, I'd LOVE to hear it ;) but if you have any negative comments about my work or my writing, I please ask you to keep those to yourself. Of course, if you want to comment them, I can't stop you. Free speech is a thing, after all, but my ego bruises easily and I don't have the best self-esteem in the world.
> 
> Anyway, I don't want to sound like some loser who can't handle their emotions, so I HOE YOU ENJOY THIS! I LOVE ALL OF YOU AND I WISH YOU ALL A SAFE REST OF YOUR DAY/NIGHT


	16. Can We Keep Him? (karasuno continuation)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone suggested I do Kiyoko, Yachi, Takeda, and Ukai's first interaction with Hinata's charm, so why not!

Encounter #12- Yachi

It was no secret to anyone that Hinata and Yachi had become fast friends. Even though the girl wasn't anywhere _near_ the first to be exposed to Hinata's charm, she was the one who fell for it the quickest after meeting him.

The first time Yachi had watched over volleyball practice with Kiyoko, the little ginger with smiles made of sunshine was the only one who didn't want to make her run away screaming for her life.

Everyone had introduced themselves to her, of course, and everyone was more than a little intimidating. Asahi was really tall, Tsukishima always looked like he was plotting something, Yamaguchi was just a _little_ too quiet for Yachi to be completely comfortable around, Nishinoya was loud, Suga's karate-chopping scared her, she was sure Daichi's angry face would haunt her dreams for years to come, Tanaka seemed violent, but Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita seemed calm enough. Still, Yachi was _terrified_ that she might make them angry. Kageyama just looked plain _intimidating,_ and Hinata...she had been pleasantly surprised to find that there was nothing about him that worried her, which was near impossible when it came to the blond's unmatched paranoia.

She'd heard enough stories about Hinata Shouyou, given the fact that at least four of her friends were absolutely _smitten_ with him and his "adorable puppy dog face." Still, she'd never actually seen him in person. They were in different classes, and they'd never happened to run into each other at all before Yachi had shadowed Kiyoko at volleyball club.

When Hinata had greeted Yachi on her first day, she could _certainly_ see the hype. He was all smiles, fluffy hair, and sparkling eyes, not to mention the way he interacted with all his scary teammates was _astounding_ to someone was cautious as Yachi, who could never even _dream_ of being so touchy and talking as casually as Hinata did.

The way he draped himself across Asahi's back, the way Nishinoya and Tanaka fought for his attention, the way he would poke Kageyama _without fear_ and run away laughing afterward enraptured Yachi.

Hinata had some of the scariest high schoolers she'd ever seen wrapped around his little finger. That much was obvious.

The day she'd shadowed Kiyoko at volleyball club wasn't the day she encountered Hinata's unbeatable charm, though. She didn't interact much with any of the players except for the greeting at the beginning, and even though his sweet smiles made the blond go somewhat weak in the knees, she'd just chalked it up to nervousness from being around so many intimidating people at a time. She acknowledged the fact that Hinata was the only one that didn't make her want to shriek and run away, but she thought nothing of the fuzzy feeling in her chest every time she caught a glimpse of the way his face always split into a beam after doing something right.

When Hinata and Kageyama had approached Yachi for tutoring days later, she'd said yes without a second thought, which was more surprising for herself than for the decoy and setter, who had thanked her profusely and promised to work out the details before leaving her dumbfounded self to her thoughts.

Usually, she'd take a lot more time into considering the offer before agreeing or disagreeing to it, especially when it involved someone as intimidating as Kageyama, but with one look into those infamous honey-brown puppy dog eyes, her mouth had moved on its own accord.

Once again, Yachi thought nothing of it. Sure, she might've jumped the gun a little bit, but who cares? What better way to get accustomed to being a potential manager than to help out two of the players?

The three had their first tutoring session only two days later, and _holy crap,_ it was no _wonder_ the entire Karasuno volleyball was so fond of him. For the first part of the lesson, Hinata and Kageyama had been hanging on her every word, which made sense for Kageyama since the setter looked like the type to be able to focus for long but, you know, since Yachi had seen Hinata practically bouncing off the walls at practice a few days ago, she hadn't expected him to be this adamant about learning.

However, when she'd declared that Hinata had answered _every single_ practice question correctly at the end of the session, his face had lit up like a Christmas tree and had unleashed a rain of praise and compliments upon her for her teachings, topping it off with an ecstatic grin and adoring eyes.

For the first time in a long time, Yachi found herself unable to utter a single word.

Kageyama shot her a knowing, sympathetic look, before roughly grabbing onto Hinata's head and squeezing it, yelling at him for being so damn cocky and that it "was only one lesson, you're not that smart, dumbass!"

Even in Yachi's stunned state, she could still see the begrudging affection in his blue eyes, clear as day.

It was no surprise to anyone when, at the next practice, Yachi and Hinata had burst through the doors laughing their asses off about some unknown joke or another. One glance at the blond girl's face told every single one of them all they needed to know.

She was just as far gone as they were.

xxx

Number #13- Kiyoko

Kiyoko had more restraint when it came to Hinata than probably 99.9% of the population of Japan. With so many boys trying to profess their love and woo her at every turn, she'd steadily grown immune to practically any and all charm that could be thrown her way. Whether it was the promise of expensive gifts, undying devotion, or eternal love, Kiyoko didn't so much as bat an eye. She'd been attractive since middle school, and she'd very quickly mastered the art of self-control and restraint.

Yes, she thought Hinata Shouyou was adorable, but who didn't? It was practically a fact of nature at this point. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Hinata is the human embodiment of happiness and puppies and all things good. The sun is yellow. You know, all the basic stuff.

Kiyoko hadn't fallen victim to sweet smiles, soft eyes, and the impossibly kind and charismatic persona everyone else had. She'd expertly trained herself to ignore all of those things from an early age. Yes, she liked Hinata, but for the life of her, she couldn't see why everyone else was so enchanted with him.

She couldn't see why Suga occasionally placed affectionate kisses atop his curls while he karate chopped everyone else into oblivion. She couldn't understand why Kageyama put so much faith in the ginger from the first week they met when, back in middle school, he'd only relied on himself and not the help of his spikers. She couldn't see why Daichi had such a soft spot for Hinata no matter what he did. She couldn't understand why Tanaka and Nishinoya had personally made it their mission to shower their underclassman with as many gifts and sweets as they could afford.

Kiyoko just couldn't understand. She was a rather passive individual, all things considered, which basically made Hinata her direct opposite. She liked the boy. It was impossible not to, she acknowledged that much, but she wasn't prepared to _die_ for him like everyone else was.

No, the way she fell into Hinata's friendship was much different than the way anyone else had.

For one, it was depressing.

Kiyoko often visited the cemetery. It was peaceful up there, and she could spend hours telling her grandfather about how well the volleyball club was doing, how her schoolwork was progressing, and Nishinoya's and Tanaka's recent endeavors to earn her love.

It had been another one of these days. Everything had gone as smoothly and routine as usual. Kiyoko dropped a bouquet off at her grandfather's grave, talked to him for a while, shed a few tears, told him she loved him, and went on her way.

However, one thing that was definitely _not_ routine was the familiar sight of orange curls among the row of dreary grey gravestones.

Kiyoko frowned. If there was one place Hinata didn't belong, it was somewhere like this. She turned away from the gate she'd been about to exit through and walked in his direction, careful to keep her steps relatively loud so she didn't startle the boy. However, it appeared to be in vain when she put a tentative hand on his shoulder, and he shrieked in response and started throwing mindless punches.

"Hinata! I'm sorry! It's just me!" She drew back instantly, alarm evident on her face.

"I- Kiyoko?" Hinata's hands dropped to her sides, and only then did the manager notice trail of dried tears coating his freckled cheeks. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh..." Kiyoko tore her gaze away from Hinata's face, forcing herself to look him in the eye, and was taken aback to find they portrayed just as much sadness as his tearstained face. "I was visiting my grandfather."

"I'm sorry." Hinata's response was immediate, and Kiyoko could tell that he meant it. "Losing a family member is hard." He offered a shaky smile, so unlike his usual intoxicating grins. "I'm sure he'd be proud of the woman you are now."

If anyone else had said it with any less conviction, Kiyoko would've thought it was another awful attempt at flirting, but this was Hinata, one of the few boys in school that didn't go bat-shit crazy whenever she laid eyes on them.

"Thank you." Kiyoko tried to regain her composure, ignoring the sudden tightness of her throat. "That means a lot. He was very special to me."

Hinata nodded in understanding. "I'm sure he was. If he's anything like you, he sounds like he was a great man."

"Yeah." It was surprisingly easy to talk to Hinata, considering Kiyoko knew she wasn't very good with words. "I didn't have the privilege of knowing him long, unfortunately. He died when I was two, but I remember he was always very cheerful. I love him very much, and I know he loved me."

Hinata pursed his lips, and Kiyoko tried not to grimace as a stray tear trailed down Hinata's cheek. Sadness was just so...unfitting for him, and it made Kiyoko's gut twist in uncomfortable ways. Slowly, she craned her neck to read the gravestone the pair were currently standing in front of, trying not to make it too conspicuous.

_Here lies Hinata Akira, beloved husband, friend, and father..._

_Oh._

Without thinking, Kiyoko threw her arms around Hinata's small frame, smiling sadly as she felt small, wet drops on her shoulders as he reciprocated only a second later. Oh god, Hinata had lost his _father,_ a _parent,_ and based on the date inscribed on the tombstone, he'd been as old as nine when it had happened. _Nine years old,_ meaning he had been old enough to understand the weight of loss, understand his father wasn't coming back, and _grieve_.

Kiyoko already felt an unimaginable amount of sadness whenever she thought of her deceased grandfather, and she'd only been a mere two years old. She didn't even want to think about how heavy Hinata's heart must be with loss, how utterly agonizing it must feel knowing that he was only left with nine years of memories from his father, nine years of loving and being loved by him, only for him to now be buried six feet under, never to see the light of day again.

If the unrestrained whimpers and sobs coming from Hinata's mouth were any indication, Kiyoko could tell he was thinking something along the lines of the same thing.

To say Kiyoko fell in love with Hinata because of his charm like everyone else had would be wrong. It was his strength that made her look at him in a new light. This kid, at a mere sixteen years of age, had already suffered one of the greatest losses imaginable, and yet, he was still known as the poster child for sparkles and rainbows and happiness.

Yet, he was still the universal shoulder to cry on, and the person people went to for healing hugs and soft whispers of reassurance.

Yet, he laughed and played and lived life to the fullest as if nothing terrible had ever happened to him.

"Can you please not tell anyone?" Kiyoko's shoulder muffled Hinata's voice, but it was audible. "I don't want any sympathy."

A wave of motherly instincts crashed into Kiyoko at full force, and she knew she was a goner. The selflessness was too much for her to bear, and nothing could've prepared her for the rush of affection she felt for the trembling boy she held in her arms.

Suddenly, all of the special treatments and fond gazes Hinata received didn't seem that crazy.

xxx

Encounter #14- Takeda

Hinata's unrelenting drive had been the thing to reel Takeda in. The kid was short, shorter than most high schoolers his age. Yet, he'd insisted that he was going to be the ace of Karasuno someday, despite being taller than their libero by only a couple of centimeters, if even that.

The first time Takeda had witnessed Kageyama's crazy sets paired with Hinata's crazy athleticism, he had to resist the urge to cackle like a maniac. The two boys had talent, and their strengths complemented each other so well that Takeda could already tell Karasuno was going to have a damn good season.

The thing that surprised Takeda that most about Hinata was the fact that he never stopped trying. Yes, he may be short, and yes, the only way he could usually receive was with his face, but he was stubborn as hell, and one thing the teacher had noticed was that once a challenge was laid in front of him, he never gave up until he completed it.

That drive to do better and succeed had resulted in a lot of late nights at the gym and nearly mornings for Hinata, and most of the time, Kageyama as well, but that only pleased Takeda more.

In all honesty, he admired Hinata's urge to do better. It was a trait that was practically nonexistent in high school boys, something Takeda had grown increasingly more frustrated with as his teaching career unfolded. Yet, Hinata never ceased to surprise him.

Hinata Shouyou was a name spoken fondly among his teachers. Though he wasn't the smartest kid on the block, he was undoubtedly one of the most friendly. Though to Takeda's knowledge, he was closest to those on the volleyball team, he knew and was friends with nearly the entire student body, which was no small feat. The young teacher had lost count of how many times a random student had burst into volleyball practice wanting to talk or give Hinata something.

And yet, the ginger still focused a good majority of his time and energy on volleyball and the team, which never ceased to baffle Takeda, as well as make him swell with pride and happiness.

The Karasuno volleyball team was good, but it wasn't great. Though, with Hinata's and the other first-year's help, Takeda did not doubt that they'd get there.

Takeda didn't really have a specific moment in time where he was introduced to Hinata's charm. It was more gradual than anything else, and by the time he realized it, there was no backing out.

Hinata had asked Takeda for a day off from homework one time, apologizing profusely and insisting that he just had too much on his plate at the moment, and all he needed was _one_ night without anything to worry about.

Takeda had agreed before he even had time to consider it.

xxx

Encounter #15- Ukai

Hinata was the reason Ukai didn't want kids.

Not because he didn't like the shrimp. It was very much the opposite, actually, because the things Hinata's puppy dog eyes could get him to do was literally scary.

At first, Ukai didn't think much of the little carrot-topped kid glued to the emo setter's side. It was clear from the moment he walked into the gym that he was the baby of the team, and as such, Ukai didn't have any high expectations for him.

He and Kageyama's quick attack had been a pleasant surprise, and the excitement on their faces was intoxicating. It reminded Ukai of himself, in the olden days, and how much he used to love the game.

The first time Hinata had used his puppy-dog eyes on Ukai had been at his convenience store. The blond could see the rest of the team waiting outside through the glass windows, but decided not to dwell on the fact that they only sent the shorty in to get food. When he could, he tried to avoid meddling in high schooler business.

"Hey Coach, can I get twelve meat buns please?" Hinata's voice took on a polite, professional tone Ukai had never heard before. Shrugging, he removed his cigarette from his lips and nodded.

"Sure, kid."

"Thanks."

Ukai could hear Hinata repeatedly rapping his knuckles against the counter, tapping out some sort of familiar rhythm the older couldn't quite place as he did his best to stuff twelve full meat buns in a single paper bag.

He finished relatively quickly, having grown accustomed to packing large amounts of food in small warping with all of his years working at the store, and was just about to turn around to hand them to Hinata when he spoke up again.

"Ah, this is kind of awkward, but Tanaka told me to ask you this so..." Hinata trailed off, licking his lips before continuing. "Do you think we could get these for free? Maybe? Just this once?"

Ukai was unable to contain a snort. Now _that_ was a ridiculous request if he ever heard one. There was no way he was going to...

When Ukai turned around to hand Hinata the bag and laugh in his face, he was immediately greeted with the boy's trademark sparkly puppy dog eyes. Ukai cursed.

_Goddammit._

The ginger wasn't even doing much, just standing at the counter and staring up at Ukai with his usual bright, honey eyes that the coach had seen so many times before.

Except this time, they were trained directly on him and nowhere else.

Whatever argument Ukai had been about to make disappeared entirely from his mind as whatever resolve he'd previously had crumbled under a single gaze. Damn puppy dog eyes. Ukai wished there was an off switch or something. He'd _never_ been able to say no to Hinata's puppy dog eyes, and it seemed the rest of the team had decided to abuse that knowledge wholeheartedly.

Except for Hinata, of course, who was always so utterly oblivious to the power he wielded with just his smile and eyes.

Wordlessly, Ukai handed the ginger the bag and shooed him out the door with one hand.

Yep. If kids like Hinata could prompt _him_ of all people to give away free food from _his_ store, there was no way he was going to have any baby Ukai's running around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYS! Kiyoko and Yachi aren't in love with Hinata (I got a question about that HAHAH The only straight relationship I stan in the Haikyuu fandom is Tanaka x Kiyoko ;))
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL BEYOND WORDS, AND STAY SAFE!


	17. Missing In Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata gets into a 'minor' accident on his way to school, resulting in him not showing up for practice.
> 
> As usual, Karasuno freaks out (but for good reason)

"Crap." Hinata's eyes flickered from the road to his watch. "Daichi's gonna kill me."

For the first time since he was just a toddler, Hinata had slept in. Usually, it wouldn't be a problem since his alarm clock was always set just in case, but he'd lent it to Natsu to take on her trip overseas with their mom, which left Hinata all alone in their tiny mountain home with no way of telling what time it was other than the small clock above their stove.

He'd woken up about thirty minutes later than he usually did, which sucked since he knew he wouldn't have time to make anything for breakfast, but he could still get to practice no problem if he just grabbed a protein bar for the road.

He had been just about to head out of the door when, of course, he'd caught a glimpse of two math sheets on the table. He'd nearly laid down and died right there. It would be mercy compared to rushing through last week's homework when he was already on the verge of being late to volleyball practice, which would almost certainly result in a lecture from Daichi and numerous uncreative jabs from Tsukishima and Kageyama.

Hinata had bit his lip, weighing his options, before sighing and dutifully setting his bags aside and rushing through the twenty problems splayed out in front of him. He already had a lousy grade arithmetic, and the teacher of the class was always so _nice_ to him. There was no way he was going to make the man's life any harder by not turning in an assignment he'd had a full week to do. Plus, Hinata prided himself on his stamina and speed. There was no reason he couldn't finish these problems and still get to practice on time, right?

Apparently not, because now Hinata was pedaling down the street like his life depended on it, three miles from the school and already five minutes late.

"Stupid math." He mumbled, approaching yet another hill. He switched gears and pedaling harder. "Why do I even have to learn it? Volleyball players don't need to know _math._ " He was pretty sure he'd gotten most of the problems incorrect too, which only succeeded in heightening his bad mood. "I don't even have an excuse! I slept in late and had to finish my math worksheets that I had a week to do! Yeah, Daichi'll be _real_ happy about that." He scowled at his handlebars, an expression foreign to his gentle features. "This puts Kageyama ahead now too. That's so unfa- OH HOLY FU-."

That was the last thing he was able to say before a car came careening about the corner, missing a head-on collision but less than an _inch_ thanks to Hinata swerving away at the last second, courtesy of his lightning-fast reflexes. The driver honked, which was _beyond_ unnecessary since it was literally his fault for cutting corners and driving into the biking lane, but other than that, he got away with no damage or consequence. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the tiny high schooler on a measly bike.

The obnoxious sound of Kageyama's ringtone was the last thing Hinata heard before crashing headfirst into a brick wall.

xxx

Kageyama groaned and pocketed his phone. "He isn't answering."

"That's...odd." Suga wrinkled his nose. The distinct lack of energy in the gym was borderline disturbing, not to mention just plain weird. Hinata was _always_ one of the first to arrive at practice, to the point where Takeda had caved and made him a copy of the gym key. The middle blocker coming to the gym at the scheduled time was rare, but being _ten minutes late_ was unheard of. Tanaka had instantly freaked out when he'd been greeted with the sight of Kageyama sitting on the stage armed with nothing but his phone and a bottle of water, mindlessly scrolling instead of arguing with the resident sunshine child, and began texting the Karasno group chat all kinds of conspiracies and morbid situations without context, which had freaked everybody out a good amount before realizing that Hinata was just late, not getting kidnapped by a burly man with a face that looked "suspiciously like Oikawa."

Yamaguchi worried at his bottom lip. He'd always thought the energy in the gym was a little too tense when Hinata wasn't around, and it was doing absolutely nothing for his nerves. "Do you think we should be concerned?"

Daichi immediately shook his head. "No."

"Yes."

"TANAKA." The spiker immediately stepped back, shooting a coy grin the captain's way. Daichi gave him a warning glare before turning his attention back to Yamaguchi. "I don't think so. He's probably just running late."

Asahi quirked his mouth and raised an eyebrow. "Daichi, it's been ten minutes. I mean, this is Hinata we're talking about." He scratched his chin. "His definition of late would be getting to practice when it _actually_ starts."

The surrounding volleyball players murmured their agreement. If it had been anyone else missing, the rest of the team would've just carried on with practice as usual and trusted that they were just sick or running late or something. It had happened enough times with Nishinoya and Tanaka that no one batted an eye anymore when they came careening into the middle of practice yelling apologies and thrusting bucketloads of food and sweets to make up for it, but Hinata was different. Not only was he the baby of the team, but he seemed hellbent on playing volleyball no matter the situation or circumstance.

Everyone knew he would never skip on purpose, just as much as they knew he would still come to practice if he were literally sick and dying. The fiasco at training camp was more than enough proof of that. Hinata had already gotten more than enough lectures about maintaining his health and not overexerting himself from both his upperclassmen and fellow first-years, mainly because everyone would like to avoid having another heart attack. However, when it came down too it, they knew the middle blocker would almost certainly still come to practice whether he had a cold or cancer.

The reality of the situation was that there was no typical reason for Hinata to be this late without informing anyone of his whereabouts or circumstances. Unless, of course, if he was unable to for some reason.

"I'm sure he's fine." It was Tsukishima this time, smirking slightly at the faces of his teammates. "You know how he is. He's probably just with one of the other teams or something."

"That's..." Kageyama paused, having been fully prepared to wave away the suggestion. "...actually very possible." He wrinkled his face at Tsukishima. "I should've thought of that."

"Oh, like what happened that one time with Kozume and Kuroo." Nishinoya supplied, grinning widely. "Way to go, Tsukishima! That surprisingly makes a lot of sense."

Daichi smiled lightly; a humongous weight lifted off his shoulders now that his teammates had provided a reasonable explanation regarding Hinata's absence. "See? No need to worry." He nodded subtly at Yamaguchi, who, in turn, gave him a shy grin. "Hinata probably had another sleepover or something at someone's house and stayed up too late. No biggie."

Tsukishima sniffed, obviously pleased at his observation but trying not to show it. "Okay, but we still need him here either way."

Suga just shrugged, having been uncharacteristically calm about the whole ordeal given that his baby had been 'missing' for a full ten minutes. "He's not answering his phone. We can't exactly _drag_ him to practice if we don't know where he is."

"I have Kenma's number." Kageyama offered, holding up his phone again. "He's probably the most likely to be with Hinata."

Kageyama and Kenma weren't exactly friends, given that Kageyama had nearly scared the smaller setter half to death during their first time meeting, but they both adored Hinata in one way or another, whether they did it openly or not. When all three of them were together, the two setters often competed for Hinata's attention, whether it was just to outdo each other or because they wanted to spend time with him. Kenma would often drape himself across Hinata's shoulders or casually cuddle with him while the three were talking, something that never ceased to make Kageyama _seeth._ However, the younger always got a kick out of Kenma's expression while the two teammates seamlessly bantered back and forth. It was some combination of jealously and possessiveness, and Kageyama always felt like he'd won some kind of competition whenever he saw it.

Kageyama had his number solely from a group chat Hinata had made a while back. He'd never texted to duel haired setter, but at least the fact that he had it was good for something. It seemed his teammates agreed, given that they were nodding confirmation at his words and urging him to go on.

Kageyama pressed on the contact, put his phone on speaker, and placed it in the middle of the little circle Karasuno had made in the middle of the gym.

Kenma didn't answer on the first ring, no surprise to anyone, or the second, third, fourth, or fifth. It was a long shot, considering Karasuno knew Nekoma's schedule well and were aware of the fact that they were also in practice, but Kenma practically lived on his phone. If he heard it ringing, there was a decent chance he would drop whatever he was doing and answer just for the sake of answering.

"Hello?" Sure enough, Kenma's monotone voice filtered out of the speaker. "Who is this?"

"It's Kageyama." The setter glanced up at his teammates. Almost all were focused solely on the phone.

"Oh." There was a rather long pause on Kenma's end. "Okay. Can I speak to Shouyou?"

Kageyama did a double-take, risking a glance at the rest of his teammates. The sea of faces staring back at him were a mixture of confusion, surprise, and suspicion. "Oh...well...we were actually calling to ask if you knew where he was."

There was a long stretch of silence, the only audible sound being Kuroo's slightly muffled voice as he and Kenma exchanged a brief conversation. After about a minute, the second-year's voice filled the speaker once again. "Is he not at practice?"

"Nope." Tanaka popped the p as loud as he could, making Asahi jump a little. "We tried calling him, but he didn't pick up. We figured our little Shortypants might be hanging out with Nekoma's little Shortypants, if you catch my drift."

Kageyama could practically feel Kenma rolling his eyes. "I don't."

Tanaka brushed the deadpan off with ease, having gotten all too used to Tsukishima's usual sass to be bothered by Kenma's. "Short people union, you know? Anyway, you _sure_ you haven't seen Hinata?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Kenma's was speaking a great deal softer now. "So he's late, and none of you know where he is?"

"Correct."

"And you called me thinking that I was most likely to know his whereabouts?'

"Also correct."

There was another long pause at Kenma's end. The members of Karasuno could faintly hear what sounded like the voices of Lev and Yaku claiming they hadn't seen Hinata recently either. The volleyball players sat in silence, all staring intently at the phone as if willing it to give them the answers they'd been speculating about for the last fifteen minutes.

"We'll all be sure to keep an eye out," Kenma said at last, seemingly having returned from his interrogation of his teammates. "Call me when you find him, okay? It's not like Shouyou to be late or not answer his phone."

"We know." Suga leaned in closer to the middle of the circle. "That's why we're worried."

"Yeah." There was a faint ruffling sound as Kenma shifted his position. "Call Oikawa and Aone. Hinata adores both of them. If he's with someone, it's probably one of them."

Karasuno exchanged glanced. They'd known about Oikawa but Aone? Now _that_ was a pair. Yes, he'd been the one to calm Hinata down after his breakdown about his dad's death, but they wouldn't go as far as to say that Hinata _adored_ the stoic older man. Their personalities were practically opposites, for all they knew. Hell, when they'd physically checked Hinata for bruises after spending the night at his house because they'd been so concerned about what someone as big and scary as Date Tech's blocker might do to someone as trusting and small as Hinata.

"We were just going to go ahead and called everyone." Nishinoya pipped up, tugging on his dyed hair as he usually did when stressed. "You were just our first choice since Hinata seems to like you the best."

Kageyama glared the libero's way before turning his attention back to the phone. God, Kenma was going to hold _that_ over his head _forever._ "Just out of the people on other teams, we mean."

"Huh-uh." Kageyama could practically feel the small, smug smirk forming on Kenma's face. "Calling everyone is a good idea." The self-satisfied tone dropped almost instantly. "Really, though. When you find him, let me or Kuroo know if he's okay."

"Will do." Suga smiled slightly at Kenma's words. "We're probably overthinking things, anyway. Get back to practice, and we'll update you when we can."

"Okay."

A suffocating silence filled the gym after Kenma hung up. The fact that the setter had no clue of Hinata's whereabouts was slightly disturbing, especially since they all knew Hinata religiously texted Kenma about _everything._

Tanaka cleared his throat and clapped his hands together, once again startling an unsuspecting Asahi. "Well, that did absolutely nothing. For all we know, Hinata could be dying in a ditch while we're mindlessly calling our entire freaking league."

Everyone ignored him. It'd gotten to the point where Tanaka's admittedly morbid conspiracy theories didn't freak them out nearly as much as they used to, which was good since he talked about them _a lot._

"I have Oikawa and Iwaizumi's number." Kageyama grabbed his phone from the middle of the circle, pinching his face. "I'm almost positive Oikawa blocked me, though. I don't know about Iwaizumi."

"Socially awkward much?"

"FUCK OFF TSUKISHIMA."

"LANGUAGE!" Daichi gave the two first-years a warning glare before digging his own phone out of his duffle. "I'm in a captain's group chat with Kuroo, Bokuto, Terushima, Ushijima, and Oikawa. If we go through that list, we should be fine." He wrinkled his nose. "But just in case, does anyone have someone from Date Tech's number?"

Suga raised his hand. "I have Aone's number." He ignored the quizzical glances from his teammates. "I got it just in case Hinata has another breakdown like he did a few weeks ago and none of us know how to handle it."

Daichi frowned. "That's... smart. I can't believe I didn't think of that." He tapped a few times on his phone before setting it down in place of Kageyama's. "Oikawa first?"

"Yes, please." Kageyama glared at nothing. "I wanna get this over with as fast as I can."

Ennoshita just rolled his eyes. "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but can we hurry this up? This is kind of taking forever."

This elicited a grumble from Kageyama and murmurs of agreement from everyone else, but other than that, the gym fell silent except for the repetitive ringing coming from Daichi's phone.

"Hello?" Oikawa's obnoxiously cheerful voice filtered through the speaker. Tanaka gagged. Kageyama followed in suit. "Daichi? What do you want?"

"Hi, Oikawa." Daichi tried and failed to match his tone. "Hinata's twenty minutes late to practice, and no one's seen or heard anything from him."

"Oh!" Everyone could practically feel the smugness through the phone. "And I'm guessing you assumed he'd be with his favorite mentor, right?"

Nishinoya rolled his eyes and muttered something suspiciously vulgar under his breath. "Uh, no, we were just wondering if anyone on your team has seen him."

"Oh. I'll check." There was a short silence, and then the rustling sound of a phone being put down, most likely on the bleachers or in between the duffle bags. "HAS ANYONE SEEN SHOU RECENTLY?" Karasuno winced at the sudden increase in volume, sighing when a chorus of no's filtered faintly through the speaker. It was a long shot, especially since they now made Hinata tell them whenever he was going over to Aobajohsai to practice ever since the cafe fiasco, but it was still a significant possibility. "Sorry, Daichi." Oikawa's voice was back to normal volume now, though judging by the incomprehensible murmurings, it sounded like the rest of Seijoh had decided to listen in on the conversation. "Mad Dog says he helped him fix his bike on Friday, but that's the last time any of us have seen him."

"What's wrong with his bike?" Asahi leaned over so his voice could be better heard. "Is something wrong with it?"

There was a shuffling sound on the other end. "His breaks were a little messed up." Mad Dog's gravely voice made everyone jump. "I have experience with that typa stuff, so he texted me to help him out."

"Uh, his breaks?" Suga and Tanaka exchanged a glance. The spiker's conspiracy theories suddenly seemed a little less far fetched then they did a moment ago. "That's kind of serious, considering he rides his bike to school every day."

"Woah, for real?" Karasuno could hear Mad Dog's growl of protest as Matsukawa grabbed the phone. "No wonder the kid has so much stamina. His house is like, eight miles away from your school or something."

"Yeah, uh, not important right now," Nishinoya grumbled, averting his eyes to glare at the gym doors. He didn't even want to ask why Aobajohsai knew where _his_ underclassman's house was. "You _did_ fix his breaks, though?"

"Positive." Mad Dog's voice was louder now. Matsukawa had probably handed the phone back to him. "Are you doubting my mechanical skills?"

"Uh, yeah." Tanaka grabbed the phone from the center of the circle before anyone could stop him. "Because whether you did a good job or not _literally_ could be a matter of life or death for _our_ underclassman." Nishinoya nodded in agreement, knowing they couldn't see him but not caring either way.

"I. Fixed. His. Breaks." By the way his teeth were grinding together, it was apparent Mad Dog was trying (and failing) to keep his temper in check. "I'm not kidding around."

"I better not be." Tanaka wasted no time in ending the call with a push of his finger, muttering something about "Aoba-fucking-johsai" before carelessly tossing Daichi's phone back into the middle of the circle.

"Uh...okay then." Daichi warily eyed Tanka as he picked his phone up off the ground. Thankfully it wasn't cracked at all, but he wouldn't have been surprised if it was, thanks to how hard the spiker had thrown it. "Let's try to be nice to the other teams when we're asking them a favor, yeah?"

"What, am I wrong?' Tanaka just crossed his arms and glared at the floor. It wasn't often he talked back to Daichi, but it wasn't really a once in a lifetime occurrence either. "Today's Monday, which means it's the first time Hinata's ridden his bike the bazillion miles from his house to school with his new breaks."

Daichi groaned and pinched his nose. "Tanaka, we are _not_ going to entertain the possibility that Hinata got in an accident."

Tanaka threw his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I want Shorty to be safe and sound just as much as the next guy, but don't you think it's a _little_ suspicious the _one_ time Hinata's late for practice is a few days after that wannabe with anger issues from Aobajohsai fixed the _breaks on his bike_?" He gestured wildly, almost hitting Nishinoya in the face. "Just saying."

Kageyama groaned. He was usually pretty quiet when team conversations were involved, but he was _so_ tired of Tanaka's crazy conspiracy theories about his spiker, and _so_ fed up with this whole ordeal. The _only_ thing he wanted to do was find Hinata as fast as possible so he could squeeze that orange head of hair and yell at him for scaring them out of their wits. Needless to say, absolutely _no one_ was helping.

"We've only called two teams, and I don't know about you, but I'd like to find the dumbass before he does something stupid and burns down the town." Kageyama reached across the circle and snatched the phone from Daichi's hand, entering the passcode they all knew by heart and scrolling through his contacts before pressing one.

"Bokuto?" Yamaguchi peered over Kageyama's shoulder. "I guess that makes sense."

Kageyama just shrugged and pressed on the number. "I guess. His personality's pretty close to the dumbass' anyway."

"DAICHI?!" Unlike the rest of the people they'd called, Bokuto answered almost immediately, his voice startling everyone after only halfway through the first ring. "HAVE YOU FOUND HINATA?"

The first-years exchanged quizzical glances. Tsukishima reached across Yamaguchi and plucked the phone from Kageyama's hand, to which the setter didn't protest. They all knew that besides Hinata, Tsukishima was the best equipped to handle Bokuto's loud personality and way of communicating.

"You don't know where he is then?" Tsukishima's voice was uncharacteristically calm even though their chances of finding Hinata were becoming smaller and smaller with every phone call. "It's been over twenty minutes, and no one's heard anything from him."

"NOT AT ALL!" Bokuto's screaming didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Tsukishima could guess the captain had been about to say something else, but the stifled yelp and the sound of an annoyed Akaashi took its place.

"What's going on." Akaashi's voice was much like Kenma's, sounding bored and monotone, but there was a slight panic to his words. Clearly, Akaashi hadn't been informed of the situation like Bokuto somehow had (Tsukishima suspected Kuroo, and silently thanked him for letting the overexcited captain know ahead of time so he wouldn't have to be the one to break the news to him), and Bokuto's screaming had been his only hint to the situation unfolding. "Is Hinata alright?"

"We don't know." Tsukishima was never one to sugarcoat things, but it was frankly disturbing to hear those words out loud. Yes, they were the truth, but in everyone's ideal world, Hinata had merely decided to skip for some unknown reason and was safe and sound at him. Tsukishima's words served only as a reminder that, given the situation, that reasoning was _very_ unlikely.

The gym suddenly became very quiet. Bokuto fell silent, which was a little surprising but not exactly unexpected, and Akaashi had to pause and take a moment to absorb everything he'd just been told.

His feelings toward Karasuno's adorable decoy were similar to those of Suga. He'd initially found Hinata's enthusiasm and drive to be somewhat endearing, but that night at Tokyo Tower had changed his perspective entirely. He didn't exactly strive to protect Hinata from anything and everything like Suga did, but his soft spot for the first-year was apparent to anyone who watched the two interact, including Bokuto, who was a little jealous but couldn't blame his setter since this was _Hinata_ they were talking about.

In short, much like Kenma's cuddles, Akaashi's soft smiles and gentle eyes were a sight reserved for Hinata only. Yes, Bokuto received them as well whenever he'd made a particularly good spike or at random moments during the week, but Hinata saw them _regardless_ of where they were or what they were doing at the moment. It was almost comical, and pretty much everyone had taken note of it. Hinata could be doing something as trivial as eating lunch, and Akaashi would look at him like he was the most precious thing on the planet.

So, in hindsight, Akaashi's temper was probably something Karausno should've expected.

"Excuse me?" Akaashi's voice was cold. "What do you mean _you don't know_."

Thankfully, Bokuto jumped in before any of the Karasuon members had to be subjected to Akaashi's wrath. "Kuroo texted me earlier. Hinata didn't show up to practice, and he's not answering his phone. They're calling all the teams to try and find him."

"I see." Akaashi was trying to keep his sentences short and anger at bay. "You all are aware that Hinata's parents and sister are out of town, right?"

Karasuno exchanged glances, because they _hadn't_ known that and it opened a _whole_ new door of possibilities that were no doubt running through Tanaka's head already.

Tsukishima recovered first. "No, we didn't know that."

Akaashi took a deep breath. "So, let me get this straight. Hinata Shouyou, the adorable, sweet, puppy child made out of smiles and sunshine that will trust _anyone_ at the drop of a hat didn't show up to volleyball practice, isn't answering his phone, and hasn't contacted _anyone_ about where he might be, and you guys are just _sitting around_ hoping one of the other teams has him?"

Daichi blinked. When he put it that way, they sounded like horrible teammates _and_ friends. "Uh-"

Akaashi wasn't done. "Really? _You guys?_ The one's who threaten anyone who so much as _touches_ Hinata wrong? You guys _literally_ baby him into oblivion, and the _one_ time he might actually need your help you just sit in the gym like a bunch of idiots trying your best to ignore the situation?"

Nishinoya crossed his arms. "I don't know who you think you are, but we are _not_ ignoring the situation."

"Yes. You. Are." Akaashi ground his teeth together. "You don't want to face the possibility that the most innocent person any of us know could be hurt or in trouble, so you _morons_ subconsciously chose not to consider the option at all and instead decided to _call people_ in hopes that Hinata might be with them. Do you understand how _stupid_ that is?"

Kageyama glared at nothing. Akaashi was making a lot of sense, and he hated it. "Okay, fine. We get it."

Akaashi sighed. There was the faint murmuring of Bokuto telling him to breath in the background. "Look, I know you didn't mean anything by it. You all were probably freaked out or something, and this stupid idea was the first thing you thought of. " The silence on Karausuno's end told the setter everything he needed to know. He groaned. "Look, okay? Everyone knows you guys are a pretty tight-knit team. I know you all are fond of Hinata and don't want to entertain the prospect of him getting hurt, but in a situation like this it's better to take actual _action,_ not just sit around and hope someone knows where he is."

Everyone shrank back a little at his words, including Tsukishima. Daichi's lectures usually contained a lot of yelling and reprimands, which was in no way pleasant, but Akaashi's were collected, and he explained things calmly with such a _disappointed_ tone of voice that made a passive explanation feel like a scolding.

"Really." It appeared Akaashi wasn't done. "Calling the other teams was a good idea, but you don't need every single member of your team to do it. One of you could've stayed behind to do it while the rest go searching the surrounding area for Hinata. Don't you think _that_ would've been a better plan?"

"Uh...yeah." Daichi felt oddly flustered. It was no wonder Akaashi was the only persona able to keep Bokuto in check most of the time. "We'll...uh...do that."

"You better, dumbasses." There was a pause before Akaashi's tone shifted to something much more tentative. "For real, though. Call Bokuto or me when you find him. The only reason he hasn't been yelling like he usually does this entire time is because he's worried."

"You got it." Daichi took the phone from Tsukishima's hand. "Thanks, Akaashi."

"Don't make this a regular thing."

"We won't."

With those words, Daichi ended the call and stuffed his phone back in the pocket of his jacket.

xxx

In the end, after many protests, it was decided that Daichi would stay behind in the off chance that Hinata showed up and call the rest of the teams since he had most of them already in his contacts. Suga gave him Aone's number for good measure before the rest of the group set off to look for their lost middle blocker. They had two hours until classes started, and they were going to make the most of it.

The remaining members split into five groups: Kageyama and Suga, Tanaka and Tsukishima, Asahi and Yamaguchi, Nishinoya and Ennoshita, and Narita and Kinoshita. The first-years were separated and put with an upperclassman as an unspoken rule. The chaos they could create when together and unsupervised was legendary, yes, but it was the last thing they needed right now.

Each group had taken a different direction. Kageyama and Suga decided to follow Hinata's route home, something Kageyama knew quite well. Tanaka and Tsukishima had already set off to search the streets surrounding Ukai's convenience store. Asahi and Yamaguchi had opted to take the large park a few blocks from the school. Narita and Kinoshita had claimed they were just going to wander around random streets and see if they find anything. Nishinoya had instantly taken a liking to the idea, so he and Ennoshita had decided to take the morning bus to the base of the mountain Hinata lived on to search the streets there and work their way up to Hinata's house.

Before they set off, everyone had tried Hinata's phone one last time, just to make sure.

No answer.

That was all it took for the respective groups to bid each other farewell and start searching.

xxx

"This sucks."

Hinata's bike was in shambles, but thanks to his newly fixed breaks, the collision wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been. His handlebars had absorbed most of the hit, but it was still enough to throw him forward facefirst into the (very inconveniently placed, in his opinion) brick wall.

Hinata was an optimist in the darkest of times, but he fully acknowledged the fact that he had been fortunate to come away as unharmed as he did. He had a bump on his head, a bleeding and scraped knee, and a small cut on his forehead from where it caught on a protruding piece of brick.

All in all, it wasn't too bad, but his head was bleeding like a _bitch._

"Shit," Hinata muttered, dabbing his bloody forehead for probably the one-hundredth time that day. "I knew head injuries were supposed to bleed a lot, but this is ridiculous."

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting like this. Practice could be over by now, and he'd be none the wiser. His bike was destroyed, his phone was in pieces, and his volleyball jacket soaked in blood from his knee and face.

His knee had stopped bleeding a few minutes before, but Hinata kept dabbing it with the hem of his shorts every once in a while just to make sure. His head was the main problem, anyway. He could feel the blood running down his face, not to mention the pounding headache from ramming into the wall. He didn't think it was a concussion, but it wouldn't surprise him if it turned out to be.

The road he was sitting beside was vacant, which was good. Hinata was positive he looked absolutely morbid with the blood covering the entire left half of his face, both dried and new, and the grotesque, fleshy wound that ran from the top of his right knee to the middle of his calf, not to mention his destroyed bike a few feet away and the bloody clothes strewn about.

Hinata knew he couldn't just up and walk the rest of the way to school while looking like a murder victim and bleeding out, so he sat there, alone, injured, and frustrated.

"That stupid driver." He said aloud, pressing the cloth harder to his head, which helped slow the bleeding a little but only worsened his pounding skull. "I was _in_ the bike lane. I bet Kageyama paid him to assassinate me or something." He frowned. "Speaking of Kageyama..."

He wasn't one-hundred percent positive given how fuzzy his head was at the moment, but he was reasonably sure he'd heard his setter's ringtone mere seconds before his phone had smashed into pieces. Was he wondering where he was? Maybe. Was he mad? Knowing him, probably. Would he be worried? Not likely.

Hinata sighed and thumped his head against the bricks, wincing a little at the contact but not caring. "I wonder if this'll affect volleyball." He mused aloud, lolling his head from side to side while keeping the cloth in place. "I _really_ hope not. That's, like, the worst-case scenario besides death." He giggled. "I guess death _is_ a slim possibility or something given how much the cut is bleeding." He removed his spare shirt from the cut, blinking out the blood that dripped into his eye almost immediately after before holding it back in place. He sighed, letting his mind wander. "That was stupid."

He sat there for a few more minutes. The bleeding had slowed down, but not nearly enough. It was a small cut, maybe a little more than an inch, but it was bleeding like a full-on gash. It looked worse than it was, but he knew he needed to come up with a more permanent solution to the injury to avoid infection.

"I don't know."

Hinata startled at the voices and footsteps rounding the corner, eyes widening a slight margin. Was it just his head, or did they sound kind of familiar?

"Yeah. I mea-OHMYGOD HINATA!" Suga raced to his underclassman as Kageyama sprinted into view, eyes wild with panic at Suga's voice.

Hinata flashed them both the peace sign. "Hi, Suga. Hey, Bakayama." He plastered on a trembling grin. "Fancy seeing you here."

His two teammates wasted no time hauling the boy up and wrapping him in the most affectionate and _relieved_ hug he'd ever received, one on each side, which confused Hinata since Kageyama seldom initiated physical contact. Still, he melted into the contact. Kageyama's hugs were always the best, not to mention Suga's forever comforting presence.

"Baby, are you alright?" Suga murmured, ginger locks tickling his chin. "You gave us all quite a scare."

"Oh, um." Hinata took a sheepish step back, allowing his teammates a full view of his injuries they'd been too preoccupied to notice before. He laughed nervously at their horrified faces. "I know it looks bad, but I got really lucky." He could practically feel Kageyama's incredulous expression. "Honestly!"

There was silence for a few seconds as the two took in Hinata's leg and the bloody shirt he was holding to his head. It was clear they didn't believe a word he said, but they weren't going to push him about it. At least, not for now.

"Fucking hell." It was Kageyama who broke the silence first, his eyes so soft and full of warmth it made Hinata's heart hurt. "Only you would somehow get yourself hurt riding to school." He took notice of the destroyed bike but thought it was best not to comment on it just yet. They'd get the full story _after_ Hinata was safe and all patched up, not while his leg was torn open and head bleeding like a river.

Hinata rewarded him with a toothy grin, saying nothing. Kageyama just rolled his eyes and pulled his partner back into his chest, if not for the ginger's comfort than for his own, _just_ to reassure himself that Hinata was here, in his arms, and wouldn't go missing all over again.

"I'll let everyone else know." Suga's voice was oddly strangled. His baby had _literally_ been bleeding from the head on the side of a road with no people in sight and no way to contact anybody, if the scattered pieces of glass and plastic were any indication of his phone's condition. Hinata better be ready for the coddling of a _lifetime,_ because there was _no way_ Suga was going to let him out of his sight anytime soon. "Hinata, we need to get you to the hospital." He stepped forward and ran a gentle hand through the curls. "Are you okay with that?"

Hinata just nodded, knowing that despite his insistence he was fine professional medical care would be a good idea. "Yeah. It's the logical thing to do."

Suga smiled warmly and gestured for Kageyama to release his grip on Hinata, to which he reluctantly did so.

"Thank you for coming to look for me," Hinata said after a moment's deliberation. "You two are wonderful. I didn't know what I would do if you hadn't found me." He smiled softly. "I'm flattered you were worried enough to search Miyagi for me."

Suga lightly kissed the top of Hinata's head, careful to avoid any potential sore spots. "Of course we were. You're our baby." He turned to Kageyama expectantly.

He just glowered, taking a sudden interest in his shoes. "Shut the fuck up, dumbass. The sooner we get your head fixed up, the sooner I can squeeze it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! Thank you all SOOOO much for your patience. For some reason, I've been having really bad writers block these past two weeks. It's like i can invasion what I want to happen and do with the prompt in my mind, but I can't put it into words. Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter!! 
> 
> I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH YOU'RE ALL FANTASTIC AND INCREDIBLE HUMAN BEINGS


	18. Missing In Action pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata goes to the hospital, everyone worries a shit tone, and one poor nurse can't wrap her head around how many people are in the waiting room just to visit one ginger high schooler.
> 
> (spoiler alert, it's literally the entire volleyball league which is like over 60 people ;) but they love him so much so it's understandable)

Kenma hadn't gone back to practice after getting the call from Kageyama.

He hadn't even left the bleachers, squeezed in between his duffle and Kuroo's with his phone in one hand and tugging on his hair with the other. Luckily the coach wasn't present at the moment and couldn't reprimand the setter for his lack of participation, and even though that job fell to Kuroo as the captain, the spiker hadn't said a word about rejoining their practice.

Tensions were high in the Nekoma gym. Though Kenma and Kuroo had been the only ones to actively hear the phone call, the rest of the team had a vague idea of what had happened from their setter's uneasy facial expression and brief interrogations about Hinata's whereabouts.

Though the entirety of the Nekoma volleyball team absolutely adored Hinata, Kenma was the closest to the hyperactive orangette. They were a strange match, especially given that their personalities were practically opposites, but their friendship was obviously a tier above anyone else's on Nekoma, maybe with the exception of Kuroo. Logically, the team knew that forcing Kenma to play volleyball would probably be the best course of action instead of worrying out of his mind, but honestly, they couldn't blame him.

The gym had gone quiet. Their usual cheers and banter had disappeared the second Kenma had gotten the call from Kageyama, and they had yet to return. The team was playing sloppily, and if their lack of strategic moves or desire to win was any indication, their game mostly served as a distraction from the situation while they waited for an update more than actual practice.

The team was a mess of nerves. Lev could barely hit a spike, Inuoka's head was somewhere in the clouds, Yaku's performance had decreased severely in the span of a few short minutes, and the rest of them weren't much better. Kuroo hadn't so much as said a word, not even to scold them about their lack of motivation or distracted attitude. It was uncommon for the captain to be quiet for such a long time, but once again, no one could blame him.

Kenma's face maintained his usual bored expression, but if the way he'd been fiddling with loose strands of hair was any indication, he was just as stressed as the rest of them.

Not that anyone was keeping track or anything, but it had been twenty minutes since Kageyama had hung up the phone and twenty minutes of ten highschoolers worrying out of their _minds._

The fact that Hinata hadn't arrived early to Karasuno was concerning in and of itself, but him being _over twenty minutes late_ was another thing entirely. Volleyball was Hinata's entire life, something practically the whole league was well aware of. For him not to be answering any number of calls or text _and_ missing the sport he'd hid a thirty-eight-degree fever just to play was _beyond_ concerning, and it was the only thing on everyone's minds right now.

That is until Kenma's phone sprang to life in his hand.

For a second, no one moved. The volleyball dropped, forgotten, to the floor. Ten pairs of eyes zeroed in on Kenma's phone. Kenma cleared his throat, eyes practically exuding uncertainty.

"It's Kageyama."

There was a beat of silence.

Two seconds later, all hell broke loose.

Nekoma practically ran over each other trying to get to Kenma, more than a few players getting an elbow to the face or a knee to the stomach in their hast. Kenma, who would usually roll his eyes and sigh at his team's antics, didn't even spare them a glance as he answered the call without a moment's hesitation.

"KAGEYAMA!" Kuroo wasted no time grabbing the phone and shoving it into the middle of the makeshift circle of players, quickly putting it on speakerphone for everyone to hear. "Did you find him?"

There was a beat of silence at the other end of the line. Kenma could barely handle the suspense.

"Yes."

Kageyama's voice sounded hesitant, and maybe a little wary, but it was all the answer Nekoma needed to let out a breath they hadn't even realized they'd been holding.

"That's great." Inuoka leaned into the phone's range. "Is he okay?"

"Uh." There it was. Hesitance. That was all it took for Nekoma's anxiety to come rushing back at full force. "Kind of?"

"What the fuck do you mean _kind of_?" Kenma snatched his phone from Kuroo's hand, pulling back from the circle even though his captain did nothing to stop him. "This isn't exactly a good time to try and be coy, _Bakayama_." He spat out the last word like a curse.

In hindsight, projecting his anger onto Kageyama probably wasn't the _best_ thing in the world to do, especially when the first-year was his only current source of information about Hinata. Still, he was worried about his friend, damn it. If Kageyama decided it'd be a good idea to beat around the bush, Kenma was just going to have to force him into telling.

Kageyama apparently had some brains in him, because he picked up on Kenma's fury immediately. Usually, the setter would have fun teasing the Nekoma player, but their situation right now was anything but. "I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to freak out."

Kenma rolled his eyes. He'd been showing more emotion in the past two minutes than he had in a week. "Can you just tell us what's going on?"

"Please?" Lev added, usually never one for manners but didn't want to risk Kageyama getting mad and hanging up. "We're going out of our minds here."

"Okay." There's a slight pause over the line as Kageyama whispered with an unknown, inaudible voice. Kenma was getting more annoyed by the second, and the rest of his teammates weren't that far behind. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Kageyama's voice filtered through the speaker once more. "We found him, but he's hurt badly. He was crumbled by the side of the road with his bike in shambled and bleeding." There was an agonizing silence. No one dared to breathe. "We're on our way to a hospital in Miyagi as we speak."

Immediately, several horrible scenarios ran through the Nekoma players' minds.

Hinata bleeding out in a back alley.

Hinata struggling to walk as he dragged a broken leg behind him.

Hinata desperately calling for _someone, anyone_ while his friends and teammates continued playing volleyball, completely obvious and naive to the state of the tiny little ginger that held the stars in his palms and sun in his smiles.

Kenma couldn't tell whether he was shaking or if it was just the vibrations of the phone, and honestly, he couldn't find it in himself to care. Hinata. Hinata _Shouyou._ His sweet, innocent best friend who has never in his fifteen years of life so much as had a single selfish _though_ and was the literal definition of _good,_ had been bleeding out on the side of the highway.

Kenma wanted to throw up.

The feeling was mutual, really.

Kenma didn't care how far away Tokyo was from Miyagi, just like how he didn't care how late he'd be for classes if he left. Honestly, that was the last thing on everyone's mind right now. All previously thoughts and logic had been thrown out the window the very second Karasuno's temperamental setter had uttered the word "hospital".

They needed to see Hinata _now._

Kuroo took the phone from Kenma with uncharacteristically shaky hands, eyes blown to proportions that shouldn't even be possible and breathing slightly erratic. "Which hospital."

It wasn't a question. It was a command, one that Kageyama would pay dearly for not answering in the next five seconds.

"Miyagi general hospital." Kageyama sounded just as rushed as Nekoma felt. "We're arriving there now."

Kuroo offered no words of thanks or gratitude, instead opting to nod in silent confirmation. "We'll be there."

No one objected. After all, they'd be damned if something as stupid and insignificant as morning classes stopped them from making sure their little sunshine was safe and sound.

xxx

Aobajohsai was practically the poster team for panic.

Unlike Nekoma, all of the present players had heard firsthand what the situation was, and as a result, they were all losing their shit.

Never let it be said that the players for Aobajohsai were ordinary people because where a regular person would sit quietly and try to ignore the swelling panic bubbling in their chest, Aobajohsai would let it _all_ out _all_ at once.

The gym had been a mess of yelling, screaming, and borderline crying from the very second Tanaka had hung up the phone.

The volleyball cart was left forgotten by the net as the entirety of Seijoh _screamed_ their way into calm, not even bothering to cover up their panic or censor their thoughts. Those who viewed Aobajohsai as a well-put-together and robust team were right, of course, but they'd clearly _never_ been to one of their famous Seijoh panic parties.

Mad Dog and Hanamaki had been engaging in an epic screaming match about the state of Hinata's breaks, Hanamaki endlessly accusing Mad Dog of attempting to assassinate Hinata while Mad Dog screamed every curse known to man in an attempt to defend himself from Hanamaki's relentless accusations. Matsukawa was crumpled to the ground at their feet, having tried to play referee for his two friends but had ultimately dissolved into helpless tears and was now mumbling to himself in a language no one could understand.

Oikawa was practically wailing, babbling his worry in his usual over-dramatic way and occasionally fake swooning into Iwaizumi's arms, who in turn, let his best friend do as he pleased while the spiker occupied himself with his own worries about their puppy-like friend.

The rest of the team was no better. Someone was screaming about "blood" and "dying", while another rattled off the endless explanations as to why Hinata was missing. There were several arguments going on at once, some not even about the situation at hand but merely serving as an outlet for their frustrations, and at least one person was angrily spiking and hitting a volleyball over and over.

As comedic and overdramatic as the chaos might seem to an outsider, it was nothing but a mere distraction for the Aobajohsai players' benefit. They were panicking, that much was obvious. Who wouldn't when learning a friend they all loved dearly was practically missing in action, but instead of dealing with it and talking it out like mature high schoolers, they busied themselves with mindless banter and pointless tasks as they waited for Daichi's (hopefully) inevitable phone call.

If it ever came, that is.

As much as Seijoh wanted to get up and _do_ something about the whole situation, they couldn't. One too many impromptu trips to Starbucks had banned the entirety of the team from leaving the gym _at all_ unless it was _absolutely necessary,_ or an emergency of some kind. Though going to look for a missing Hinata was a perfectly acceptable reason in all of their books, it wasn't one their coach would approve of. What were they even supposed to say? The little ginger from Karasuno who beat them to a match for Shiratorizawa and also occasionally snuck in to play with them was twenty minutes late to his own volleyball practice with no real evidence that he was in some kind of danger and not just sick or something?

Yeah, talk about a good excuse.

Luckily for Aobajohsai's sanity, a small 'ping' from Oikawa's phone grabbed everyone's attention immediately.

Iwaizumi reacted without hesitation, carelessly side-stepping his best friend and grabbing his phone with roughness not uncommon to the speaker. He wordlessly entered the passcode he knew now by heart, expertly ignoring the way his fellow teammates scrambled helplessly around him while crying incessantly for _any_ piece of news regarding their missing friend.

Fortunately for all of them, Iwaizumi wasn't one to beat around the bush.

Daichi had sent a message to a captain's group chat Iwaizumi hadn't even known existed, but that was hardly the first thing on his mind right now. He wasted no time clicking on the notification and scanning the message with his own two eyes, not so much as sparing a glance to Oikawa reading over his shoulder, worrylines on his flawless skin deepening with every sentence as he hung off his vice-captain like a sloth.

Apparently, Oikawa could read faster than his best friend, because his sharp intake of breath as he reached the last line of text sent his teammates into an absolute _frenzy._

_"Well?_ What the fuck is it?" Kindaichi made a move to grab Oikawa's phone, very nearly falling on his face as Iwaizumi dodged his attempt with ease as he reached the end of the lengthy paragraph. "Don't just leave us in the dark here!"

"I..." Iwaizumi's eyes widened significantly, very clearly having finally reached the end of Daichi's message. "He..."

Oikawa immediately butted in. He knew his vice-captain well enough to know that he needed at least a few minutes to process what he'd just read, nevermind getting out of his head long enough actually to tell the team about it. "Hinata's in the hospital."

There wasn't so much as a beat of silence before the gym immediately erupted in cries.

"What do you mean _in the hospital_?"

"Oikawa, if you're joking, this seriously isn't funny."

"Are you fucking serious?! What the fuck happened?!"

"Holy shit, is he okay? He's okay, right?"

Yahaba instantly whirled around to face Mad Dog, his voice barely audible amid all the questions and panicked cries. "I swear to god if this has _anything_ to do with his breaks..."

Mad Dog just nodded, making no move to defend himself or protest his innocence. His face was a picture of panic, seemingly entertaining the possibility that it _had_ been his fault Hinata had been missing in the first place. If it had been his fault the kid had been hurt...Mad Dog didn't even want to go there. Instead, he just clamped his mouth shut and nodded along with Yahaba. He would take every bit of his team's wrath without protest if he'd, even indirectly, been the cause of the little sunshine's trip to the hospital.

xxx

The situation at Fukurodani Academy was interesting, to say the least.

Practice had been postponed. Not officially, of course, but seeing _Bokuto_ attempting to calm down a seething _Akaashi_ of all people was weird enough for the rest of the members to call it a day and find out _what the fuck_ was going on.

Akaashi, the usual picture of rational and peacefulness, looked like he wanted to punch something. His passive features were bunched together in a way none of them had ever seen, forget having experienced first hand. To make matters weirder (and worse), a string of breathy, unintelligible sounds that none of them could adequately understand (but were obviously curses) could be heard the closer they got to the second-year.

On the flip side, it was clear Bokuto was panicking. Whether it was because of an angry Akaashi or some other reason the team didn't know, but if his pinched face and frantic hand movements were any indication, something was _definitely_ wrong.

The majority of Fukurodani huddled together a few feet from the duo, partially because they didn't want to intrude on whatever clearly private conversation they were having, but mostly because Akaashi was fucking _scary_ when he was mad. Still, thanks to Bokuto's crazy loud voice, the team could hear a scattered mix of "Hinata" and "It's okay" and "They didn't mean anything by it."

If Fukurodani didn't have any context regarding the situation, (which they didn't, but that was beside the point), they would've deduced that Akaashi's current state was because Hinata had said something insensitive or mean to their teammate, thus setting him off down a spiraling pit of rage. However, though the gold and black team hadn't had the pleasure of actually meeting Karasuno's number ten one on one yet, it was painfully evident that Akaashi _adored_ the ginger. If the way he'd smiled oh so lovingly at the first-year when his team had walked into training camp was any indication, then the way Akaashi had absolutely _melted_ in Hinata's bear hug certainly was.

Though no one on Furkuodani had really talked to Hinata besides Bokuto and Akaashi, it was hard to believe the orangette with the sweet babyface would _ever_ say _anything_ even remotely hurtful to anyone. He just seemed so _nice._ Plus, they doubted someone with a mean personality could wrap practically the entire league around his tiny little finger without even trying.

No one was going to ask about or meddle in a situation where they would be of no help, so when Bokuto's phone dinged from beside him on the bleachers, Fukurodani just watched with varying degrees of concern and confusion as both players dived for it instantly, fumbling with the home button in their haste to unlock it and read whatever message they'd received.

It was almost comical how quickly Akaashi's fury shifted into unease, or the way Bokuto's jaw went slack and the panic in his eyes increased tenfold. Whatever message they had received, it had been serious. Still, they hadn't expected to it be so severe that their captain would just _up and run out the door_ only mere seconds after having finished reading whatever paragraph they'd received.

The team stumbled back as Bokuto shot forward, not even bothering to grab his duffle before full-on sprinting out the gym doors with speed they never knew he possessed.

"Sorry." Akaashi stood up before anyone could so much as utter so much as one of the myriads of questions that were undoubtedly on the tip of everyone's tongue. "Continue practice without us. Tell the teachers we're absent."

His voice sounded oddly choked, but before anyone could think to comment or question on it, the setter breezed right past them and through the now swinging gym doors.

xxx

Daichi was smack in the middle of his call with Shiratorizawa when it was interrupted by one from Suga.

He didn't even have to think twice about hanging up on the legendary Ushijima in the middle of his sentence in favor of his teammate.

"Did you find him?" Daichi couldn't even find it in himself to be embarrassed for how strangled his voice sounded, and he was almost a-hundred-percent sure Suga didn't either, given their current situation. Daichi knew as well as anyone that Suga calling could mean one of two things: either they'd found Hinata or they hadn't. Both prospects were terrifying in their own way, regardless of how one might think not. Of course, if Suga was calling to report that Hinata hadn't been found, Daichi was reasonably sure his heart might stop. That was undoubtedly the worst-case scenario, as well as one he didn't wish to experience anytime soon, even though he knew full well that fate didn't give a damn about what he did and didn't want to happen.

On the other hand, Hinata had to have been late for a reason. If Suga was calling to say he had been found (and Daichi prayed to whatever god was listening that he was), it was a question of the _state_ his friend had found him in. The possibilities were practically endless. They ranged somewhere from being late because Hinata had simply slept in, to being late because Hinata had been kidnapped while riding to school.

Deciding he didn't want to dwell on it any longer in case he gave himself a freaking heart attack, Daichi's answered the phone.

"We found him."

Daichi tensed immediately as Suga's voice filtered through the speakers. He could hear Kageyama talking to someone in the background, presumably Kenma, since he seemed a little more annoyed than usual, but that wasn't what set off the alarm bells ringing in his head.

One might think that Daichi would be ecstatic at his friend's declaration, and he was, don't get him wrong, but Suga just sounded...off. His voice sounded strangled and distracted. Thick, even. His attention was clearly elsewhere, and while that should've been understandable given the man's deadly protective streak against Hinata, his speech sounded way too fast and hurried for that just to be the case.

In other words, something was wrong.

"That's amazing!" It was. Truly. But Suga sounded way too tense for him to celebrate like he wanted to. "Is he alright?" _God, please let the answer be yes please, please-_

"No." Suga's bluntness made Daichi's breath hitch. "We're taking him to the hospital right now. His leg is torn open, and he's bleeding profusely from the head. Text everyone to meet us there."

Daichi felt his heart _stop._ This was bad. This was _really_ bad. If Suga hadn't even bothered to beat around the bush or sugarcoat things even a _tiny_ bit, something was seriously wrong. Or, a much more horrifying possibility could be that Suga _was_ sugarcoating Hinata's injuries, and his underclassman was actually much worse off than what Suga had said.

Daichi needed to see Hinata _now._

His thumbs moved faster than they ever had before as Daichi quickly tapped out a short paragraph regarding the situation so far and the information Suga had just relayed to him, which proved to be harder than expected since his hands were practically shaking. He first sent the message to the Karasuno Volleyball group chat, one that Tsukishima had removed himself from some number of weeks ago but would see regardless since they were in pairs, which was a _huge_ relief.

He hesitated for only a moment before copying and pasting the message into the captain's group chat as well, deeming it the most effective way to get information to all the teams without wasting time he could be using to get to Hinata. At this point, he didn't care whether the admittedly disturbing message freaked out either Ushijima or Terushima, given Suga's call interrupted his explanation to Ushiwaka and he hadn't even gotten around to call Johzenji yet, but knowing their ridiculous fondness of Hinata (not that he could blame them), they would find out sooner or later and come rushing to the hospital with the rest of them.

Withholding information about Hinata's current state from Date Tech probably wasn't the best idea in the world, since if the team ever found out about the incident they'd be absolutely _livid,_ but for the sake of Date Tech's own peace of mind (not to mention six highschool volleyball teams alone was probably already straining the capacity of the waiting room, nevermind a seventh) and mental health. After all, at least one team in their league should be able to get in a full practice today, right?

Quick as can be, Daichi sent the message off and went running out of the gym, frantically calling for an uber as the doors swung closed behind him.

xxx

Tanaka didn't even have to read the whole message to whip around and punch the nearest wall. He'd clicked on the group chat with the intention of reading the paragraph all the way through, something he wouldn't usually do but thought was necessary at the time to get a full grasp on the situation. It turned out not to be the case, however, because two measly words told him everything he needed to know. They were playing over and over again in his mind, repeating themselves like a mantra.

_Hinata and hospital._

He was going to fucking kill Mad Dog.

Tanaka didn't say anything as Tsukishima plucked his discarded phone from the ground, merely continuing to hit the wall with a little less vigor as a way to keep his rising panic at bay.

Tsukishima read through the message quickly, eyes widening and breath hitching ever so slightly as he came to the end. His teasing of Hinata may be borderline insulating most of the time, but the _last_ thing he wanted was for the little ginger ever to get hurt in a way that resulted in something as serious as a hospital trip.

Tsukishima silently pulled Tanaka away from the way, that of which now had several chips in the bricks thanks to the spiker's admittedly durable fists, which luckily weren't bleeding besides a small cut at the base of one of his fingernails.

Though neither male said a word, their erratic heartbeats more than spoke for themselves.

xxx

When Yamaguchi and Asahi read the message, the pinch server could barely keep the unshed tears he'd been holding in for the last five minutes from overflowing right then and there. The whole situation was just _awful,_ and for it to happen to Hinata of all people...his friend deserved cookies and rainbows, not nearly something as horrible as bleeding out on the side of the road with no way to call for help.

To imagine _Hinata Shouyou_ of all people in that situation...his curls matted to his forehead and soaked in blood, clutching a bleeding leg with his bike and phone in tatters all around him...it didn't seem right. Hell, it _wasn't_ right, but apparently whatever god was watching over them just _loved_ to see the kid with smiles made of gold suffer because that was apparently just _so. Much. Fucking. Fun._

Yamaguchi was grateful Asahi seemed to be holding up better than he was because, without his upperclassman's help, the pinch server doubted he would've been able to pull himself together long enough to gather his senses and get to the hospital in time.

Now, to say Asahi was taking the news better than Yamaguchi wasn't really a big achievement. The man was painfully soft-hearted, a fact apparent to all of his teammates, but he especially adored Hinata in a way he didn't the rest of the first-years. Maybe it was because Hinata was essentially the baby of the team even though he was only the fourth-youngest, or perhaps because the way he always looked up at the spiker with a smile gracing his lips and eyes that looked at him like he hung the stars in the sky just made him _so_ damn soft he couldn't help but love the little ginger.

Though no tears had spilled from Asahi's eyes just yet, his stomach was twisting in uncomfortable ways he'd never experienced before. Whether it was from nervousness or fear, he didn't care. All he knew was that they needed to get to the hospital ASAP, and if that meant being the sane one of his current duo, then so be it.

xxx

Unsurprisingly, Ennoshita kept a level head after reading the message. That was good since Nishinoya _lost. His. Shit._

"IT'S MAD DOG'S FAULT, I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD!" Nishinoya's fists were clenching and unclenching as if debating whether he wanted to sock someone in the face or demonstrate an ounce of self-control for once. "If Shouyou's injuries are because he tried to use his breaks and they didn't work I _SWEAR TO GOD-"_

"Calm down." Ennoshita put a tentative hand on Nishinoya's arm. There was a fifty percent chance the libero might try to bite him off, but apparently, the odds were in Ennoshita's favor today. "Screaming isn't helping anyone."

In truth, Ennoshita knew exactly where Nishinoya was coming from. Just because he had a level head didn't mean he didn't care any less than the rest of the team about the ginger, god no. That little kitten sneeze he'd heard from Hinata all those months ago _still_ remained the most adorable thing he'd ever seen to date. Hinata was like a mix between an overexcited puppy who'd just been told he was getting treats and a fluffy kitten on the daily, and Ennoshita, along with literally anyone who came in touch with him, _adored_ the ginger to no end.

Clearly, Nishinoya felt that same way given the fact that he was literally contemplating _homicide_ over his precious underclassman getting hurt (with virtually no evidence, Ennoshita might add), and was projecting his panic into anger, thus blaming Mad Dog for this whole ordeal.

"Nishinoya." Ennoshita's voice was stern, but it wasn't enough to stop his yelling completely. "Standing here screaming isn't going to help Hinata _at all._ " Ah, yep. There it was—Nishinoya's weak spot. Almost immediately, the libero's yelling ceased as he turned to his friend with wide eyes swirling with worry and barely restrained panic. Ennoshits pursed his lips. "Right now, we need to get to the hospital to make sure he's alright."

Nishinoya hesitated for a split second before nodding. "Fine. But if it _is_ Mad Dog's fault that Shouyou's hurt, nothing you say is gonna stop me from throwing a punch."

Ennoshita snorted at his teammate's seriousness. "Believe me, if that were the case, I would downright encourage you to do so."

xxx

Narita and Kinoshita were both pretty levelheaded individuals, which was a near lifesaver in situations like the one they were living through right now.

They didn't get the chance to talk to Hinata as much as the others did during practice, and even when it was over, they never really got a clear chance since whenever they saw Hinata in the halls, he was always _swarmed_ with people, but they were friends. Good friends, actually, since the entirety of the volleyball team was relatively close.

Still, despite their remarkable ability to keep their emotions in check at the most stressful of times, both let out audible gasps as they reached the end of Daichi's message.

"Bleeding from the head?" Kinoshita whispered, breaking the suffocating silence that surrounded the two. "I-seriously?"

Either Narita ignored him or didn't hear. "He's going to the freaking hospital, man." He breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from his phone. "He...his...thank god Suga and Kageyama found him."

Kinoshita nodded silently. He could already feel his stomach begin to bubble in panic. "We're taking the next bus downtown straight to the hospital."

Narita forced a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Agreed."

xxx

The nurse peeked around the door to the waiting room, suppressing a small smile as she did so. There sure were a lot of visitors today, much more than usual. It wasn't exactly surprising since the hospital had a good number of patients who had been administrated last week, and the visitors were probably there to visit their respective relatives or friends, though it was a little particular how many of them showed up at the same time, as well as their appearance.

From the looks of it, most of the people in the waiting room looked to be around high school age, though there were a few somewhat intimidating guys that seemed to be in their twenties and one middle school student with a blond dyed strip of hair. They were all wearing some form of shorts and t-shirts as well, which was rather particular attire for a hospital. It almost looked like they'd just left some kind of sports practice or something.

She shrugged her shoulders. Oh well, no use dwelling on it now. She had a patient to report.

She stepped into the room, resisting the urge to blush as a particularly handsome blond with an undercut and piercings who looked to be about twenty-two looked her way. She regained her composure quickly, though. She was a professional, after all.

"If any of you present are here to visit a..." She subtly checked her clipboard. "...Hinata Shouyou, would you please come into the hallway with me?"

She'd expected one, maybe two people to stand up, possibly five at the most. What she _hadn't_ expected was more the _entire damn waiting room to get out of their seats and start walking toward her._

Her eyes widened. This couldn't be right. The waiting room was near full capacity! There was no way more than sixty people were here for _one_ patient, a fifteen-year-old boy, (even though he was admittedly adorable and sweet with his manners), who wasn't even that severely injured no less. Sure, maybe this number of people visiting a single patient would be understandable if the patient in question was sick and _dying_ or something. Still, even then, the max amount of people to visit a patient at one time had been around seventeen! Sixty more than doubled that record!

She cleared her throat expectantly. They must have misheard. "I don't know if some of you misheard, but I'm taking the visitors for _Hinata Shouyou_ to his room." She paused. No one was sitting down. "I repeat, _Hinata Shouyou_."

"We know what you said, ma'am." The nurse met the eyes of a small blond with black roots, who was currently fidgeting nervously with the hem of his shirt. He looked almost nervous. "We're all here for Shouyou."

"I-" The nurse didn't know what to say. _"Every single one of you?"_

"Yes." A brunette with a high voice and fluffy hair stepped forward, flashing her a peace sign and a grin. He looked kind of familiar. Had she seen him on tv somewhere? In a magazine or something...? "He's a very good friend of ours, so if you wouldn't mind, could you take us to his room please?"

"Uh..." Oh great, now she was fumbling with her words. How much more awkward could she be? "I'm so sorry, let me just get this straight. All of you?" She still couldn't quite wrap her head around it. "He's good friends with _all of you?_ "

A tall blond with glasses rolled his eyes. From what the nurse could tell, he looked to be about 190 cm. That itself was impressive for a high schooler, though he didn't exactly look like the sporty type. What a shame. That high could've been put to good use for basketball or volleyball or something. "We're very fond of him, we love him, he's our baby blah blah blah all that jazz, can we just see him?" A man with grey hair elbowed him. The tall blond glared before he forced a smile through gritted teeth. " _Please."_

The nurse blinked. Wow, someone was taking no shit today. "Uh, yes. My apologies. He is in room two thirty-eight on the left. Second floor." She paused for a moment to regain her composure. "Though I must say, I don't think his room is big enough to fit all of you."

"We'll make it work." The kid with the dyed blond strip replied, already heading for the double doors leading into the hallway. "Thank you for your time."

"Uh, your welcome." The nurse watched dumbly as the waiting room slowly cleared out, still trying and failing to wrap her head around what had just happened.

The little ginger she had so briefly treated was very much loved, she'll give him that.

xxx

Hinata had been more than a little surprised when his own and _five other volleyball teams_ came running through the door to his hospital room at full speed. He'd honestly expected Suga and Kageyama to be the only ones with him, maybe Daichi, since he was the captain, but never their _entire freaking league._

He hadn't even had time to get over his shock before six separate people started fussing over him and his injuries. In contrast, the others either made themselves comfortable in the limited space they had or stared in mute horror at his bandaged leg and the blood-soaked gauze wrapped around his head. He wasn't a pretty sight and he knew it, but that didn't stop at least half of his friends from initiating skin to skin contact with him in _some_ way, a habit Hinata had noticed they'd started doing after his little fainting incident at training camp.

It was endearing and it made Hinata beyond giddy, but he couldn't even _fathom_ why five of the biggest powerhouse schools in all of Japan abandoned their respective practices to see _him._ Before he could ask this, however, as well as get Akaashi, Suga, Semi, Iwaizumi, Inuoka, and Bobata to stop freaking mothering him (though he loved the affection and attention), Daichi spoke up.

"You sure know how to give us a scare, kid." Though his tone was light and teasing, Hinata could see the unidentifiable emotions swimming in his eyes. "We were pretty worried about you. We all pretty much straight up abandoned volleyball practices just to make sure you're okay."

Hinata furrowed his brow as murmurs of agreement floated around the room. It was a tight fit, but they'd somehow gotten everyone squeezed into the little dorm, standing shoulder to shoulder. Still, Hinata couldn't help but think that there _shouldn't_ be this many people. He wasn't that important...was he?

"Uh, about that." Hinata raised a quizzical eyebrow at his surrounding friends. "Not that I'm not grateful, because I seriously am and you all are amazing, but...why are you all here?" He winced at his words. Wow. That had come out _way_ harsher than intended. "I don't mean that in a bad way, I swear! All of you being here makes my heart go GWAH, but like...how did you know? And why leave your volleyball practices? That seems kinda impractical, y'know?"

Ushijima just blinked. His expression hadn't changed from the moment he'd walked in the room, keeping it passive as always, but his shoulders had clearly been relieved of some tension. "We were worried about you." He said simply, not bothering to elaborate even though Hinata's raised eyebrow encouraged him to do so. "That's all."

Kageyama grunted from his spot in a chair. "When you didn't arrive fifteen minutes after practice started and you weren't answering your phone, we got kinda paranoid and decided to call all the teams to see if they knew where you were." The setter threw a begrudgingly grateful glance Akaashi's way. "It was Akaashi who suggested we actually start looking for you instead of sitting around a phone calling everyone like a bunch of dumbasses. So Daichi stayed behind and continued letting everyone know while the rest of us went out looking."

"And that's when you and Suga found me." Hinata finished, grinning thankfully at the two before turning to the rest. "That's really sweet and all for you to come here, but I don't want to be a burden to you guys or anything-"

Hinata honestly didn't mean it in a self-deprecating way; he just felt terrible that he was interfering with something as crucial as volleyball, though he could easily see how someone could take it the wrong way.

And, of course, like the mother hens they were, pretty much everyone did.

"You're not a burden," Terushima said quickly, concern lacing his voice. "We all came here because we wanted to."

"Okay." Hinata nodded slowly, immediately dropped the subject after seeing the number of concerned glances thrown his way, a slow smile creeping onto his face that soon turned into a full-on grin, melting everyone into absolute _putty_ in front of him. "That means a lot!"

"Of course. We adore you." Matsukawa flashed a hurried thumbs up, clearly having something to ask. Beside him, Mad Dog was silent and shifting from one foot to the next. However, Hinata didn't have time to look further into it before the Aobajohsai player spoke again. "Can you tell us what happened? Like how you got..." He waved his hand over Hinata's body. "...this?"

"Oh!" Hinata grimaced at the memory. He honestly couldn't believe it'd only been less than an hour ago; everything had hurt _so bad._ "Yeah. Uh, I was kinda running a little late for practice anyways since my sister took my alarm clock-" He shot Daichi an apologetic look. "-but I was riding on the side of that road like three minutes away from school, you know? I was in the bike lane, and this stupid driver wasn't looking where he was going and almost swerved right into me. I got out of the way like a _millisecond_ before he hit me, but I ran headfirst into a brick building."

"You could've gotten run over...?" Kenma's voice was quiet, far more than usual. "Really?"

Hinata nodded enthusiastically. "Now that I look back on it, I got _really_ lucky I turned when I did. Plus, Mad Dog helped fix my breaks over the weekend. He's probably the only reason my head didn't split completely open." There was an audible exhale from at least four people in the room, one of which being Mad Dog himself. Hinata didn't pay it any mind. "By the way, thanks for that!" He flashed the Aobajohsai spiker another grin, to which the player nearly collapsed on the spot.

Things were pretty mellow after that. The teams all told Hinata a lot of things. How happy they were that he was safe, how loved he was, how impressed they were with his killer reflexes, and in general just making small talk while looking at the ginger with fond eyes and gentle smiles.

Hinata, in turn, soaked up the affection and praise like a sponge. He absolutely _craved_ that kind of stuff, and even though he knew he was loved immensely by all his friends on all teams, they didn't verbalize it or put it into actions very often. He was a touchy-feely person, so what? Sue him, but gentle touches and words made him _melt,_ similar to the effect Hinata (unknowingly) had on everyone in his day to day life.

The room became stuffy with so many people in it after about an hour, and the same nurse from before came around to shoo the boys away and to let Hinata rest. She had a slightly flabbergasted look on her face, much to Hinata's amusement even though he couldn't fathom what it would be about, and it was almost comical to see over sixty well-built highschoolers trail out of his tiny room. It had the same effect as a clown car.

"Yo. Dumbass."

Hinata looked up to see Kageyama standing in the doorway, clearly having snuck back into the room after the nurse had forced him up from his chair and made him march out of the room with the others. "Yeah?"

Kageyama regarded Hinata with a thoughtful look. It was almost like he was inspecting him. "Is your head better?" He asked finally, making Hinata raise an eyebrow. He wasn't sure whether he liked the look in his setter's eyes or not. After all, it _was_ a fairly odd question.

"Uh, yeah." He answered. "It should be all good. The cut was too small to warrant stitches or anything, and they stopped the bleeding when I got here, so HEY OW OW OW OW OW WHAT ARE YOU _DOING?_ "

Hinata hadn't so much as finished his sentences before Kageyama bounded across the room with those stupidly long legs of his and _squeezed_ his head, even going as far as to muss up his sweaty orange curls a bit before being swatted and clawed away by Hinata's hand.

"There." Kageyama stepped back, and even though Hinata's mocking glare said otherwise, he was more than a little surprised to find Kageyama's face the perfect picture of satisfaction. "Glad you're okay, you freaking dumbass. You pull shit like this again, I'll murder you."

"Wha- THIS WHOLE SITUATION WASN'T EVEN MY FAULT! I ALMOST GOT RUN OVER FOR CHRIST'S SAKE."

"Which wouldn't have happened if you'd gotten up at your normal time."

"I AM YOUR BEST. FRIEND. YOU WOULD HAVE LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE TO TALK TO IF I DIED."

"Hm. Debatable."

"...I hate you."

Even without looking at him, Kageyama could tell Hinata was pulling a pout. Still, he couldn't help but snort at his spiker's words.

"I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY THIS TOOK OVER TWO WEEKS, BUT IN MY DEFENSE, IT'S NOT TECHNICALLY MY FAUT. Well like yeah, it is my fault since I literally procrastinated writing new chapters for like a week, but it was supposed to be uploaded much sooner than today but come complications came up. All some of y'all know I usually upload my chapters around like 3 am (that's when I do all my best writing) but my parents decided that I can't keep my computer in my room at night anymore without getting grounded so that's super fun :/
> 
> ANYYYWAY I REALLY HOPE YOU ALL LIKE THE CHAPTER! To the person I promised it'd be uploaded tomorrow, I swear I didn't lie I just had to put my computer up before I finished editing it :(
> 
> I'LL SEE Y'ALL SOON! And just so you guys no, I have NO intention of abandoning this story anytime soon <3
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH!! STAY SAFE.


	19. Double the Cute and Triple the Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something many people know is That Hinata Shouyou has a little sister. What is not as well known is the fact that said sister is almost as adorable as he is. Almost.
> 
> Seriously, what the hell is their mother feeding these kids?
> 
> Or: Karasuno is so freaking whipped for their middle blocker it isn't even funny. Seeing Natsu only further cements that fact.

Five minutes into Karasuno's first-ever sleepover at Hinata's house, everything had already gone to shit.

Naturally, when Daichi was brainstorming team bonding activities and Hinata had volunteered to host twelve highschool boys over at his house for a weekend, he'd been more than a little hesitant from the get-go. For one, though most of them hadn't _actually_ been over to Hinata's house for more than an hour or so (the exceptions including Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and (surprisingly) Tsukishima), they'd all been inside it enough times to know that it wasn't _exactly_ the right size for a sleepover, especially considering how crazy their particular team could get.

Hinata's house wasn't small by any means, especially for one way up in the mountains. It was more...average, maybe a little below. It wasn't an insult, and as far as Daichi could tell, Hinata's family wasn't struggling financially in any way, but fitting everybody in one place seemed like quite a stretch.

When Daichi had brought these concerns up to Hinata, though, the first-year had just simply waved him off and assured him that it would be the _perfect_ place for a sleepover. His mother was away for the weekend, and contrary to the captain's belief, Hinata had insisted that his house wasn't as small on the inside as it looked on the outside. There was, apparently, a pretty large back living room area that he hadn't been aware of.

Daichi still hadn't been all convinced, however, even after the other three first-years had backed up Hinata's explanation and joined him in insisting that Hinata's house _would_ be the perfect place to host such an event. Everyone else had seemed pretty keen on the idea too, most of all Tanaka and Nishinoya, who'd been absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of adequately seeing the inside of their favorite underclassman's house for the first time.

In all, the debate was over pretty quickly. One harsh glare from Suga and sparkly puppy-dog eyes from Hinata was all it took to push the captain over the edge and reluctantly agree, much to the delight of everyone else, including Tsukishima for some reason. He seemed oddly adamant about going over to Hinata's house, and when Daichi had asked about it as the two were packing up, the blond had simply shrugged and said:

"You'll see. Just make sure to bring a pair of sunglasses."

At the time, Daichi had had no idea what Tsukishima meant, but he suspected it had to do with the small little girl that immediately leaped into Hinata's arms as he entered the house with his teammate behind him because _holy shit, there were two of them_.

"Shouyou!" The little ball of orange fluff squealed, and everyone's mouths _dropped._

As if that wasn't bad enough, Hinata's face exploded into the softest, most affectionate smile any of them had ever seen and holy _shit_ no wonder Tsukishima was so keen on going to Hinata's if _this_ was going to happen all night. "Hi, Natsu!" He pressed an exaggerated kiss to her cheek and ruffled her hair. "Didja have a good day?"

"Yeah!" Natsu wrapped her legs around Hinata's waist and reciprocated with a kiss of her own, a smile that could almost rival Hinata's adorning her features. "It was awesome! The teacher said we were so good this week that she would let us have an extra-long recess next Monday!"

"I'm sure you're excited about that, huh." Hinata gave his sister one last smile before gesturing to his teammates meaningfully over his shoulder, to which everyone had to _literally_ struggle to regain what little composure they had left to move. The effect Hinata had on them alone was bad enough, but now they had to be in the constant presence of _two_ sunshine children for the duration of the weekend? What the hell kind of genes did they even _have?_ "Natsu, I'd like you to meet some people."

"Oh?" Natsu twisted her entire body around to stare at the open-mouthed highschoolers, seemingly realizing her brother had company for the first time that night. She scanned the crowd quietly, her smile falling from her face and forming an adorable pout with unconscious puppy-dog eyes that weren't quite as glittery as Hinata's but could do the trick nonetheless. "Are these your volleyball teammates?"

"Mmhm." Hinata gently unlatched Natsu's arms from around his neck, his sister getting the message and quickly climbing the (short) distance down her brother. "I bet you remember some of them."

"Tobio?!" Natsu's face brightened instantly, her smile falling back into place as easily as anything. "Is he here?"

Hinata wrinkled his nose. "Duh, he's on my volleyball team." He mimicked his sister's earlier pout, and Karasuno had to collectively suck in a breath because _there was no way they were going to last the entire weekend without cracking_ and _what the hell was going on._ The Hinata siblings, bless their souls, didn't notice a thing. "He's probably hiding in the back somewhere or something." He flicked Natsu on the forehead. "He gets nervous around you, you know."

"I do _not_." Kageyama's voice filtered from somewhere near the middle of the group, sounding a lot less grumpy and way more squeaky than usual. "She's just so freaking _adorable,_ it's like-"

"Ewww, Bakayama!" Hinata's words were nearly drowned out by Natsu's flustered stammering. "Don't _say_ that you weirdo, she's like the younger girl version of me!"

"That's the freaking _point,_ dumbass," Kageyama muttered, audible only to himself and Yamaguchi standing behind him because the Hinata siblings were _so_ undeniably cute he wasn't sure if he wanted to punch them in the face or squish their cheeks. He wasn't as affected as the others were by Hinata most of the time, mainly because they spent every waking moment together and life would be impossible if Kageyama had to pick his jaw off the floor every time the middle blocker so much as smiled, but standing in a room in the presence of _two_ freckled, fluffy, smiling gingers was like staring into the _sun,_ but, like, increased by ten with kittens eating cotton candy thrown into the mix.

Jesus Christ, what was their mother _feeding_ those kids? It was probably the tears of puppies with sparkles and rainbows mixed in or something. Either that or their genetics were out of this world.

"So, this is Natsu." Nishinoya murmured, eyes blown wide and volume significantly lower than usual. "Huh."

Yeah. _Huh._

"You know me?" Now it was Natsu's turn to look confused, coming out from where she'd hidden her face in her hands to look around the room curiously. "How? I don't know any of you."

"Ah." Nishinoya cleared his throat weakly and raised his hand. "Hinata talks about you sometimes. And, uh-" since when was forming words so freaking _hard._ Goddamit, he could've sworn he was getting better at this. "Uh, sometimes Hinata has to leave early to...y'know. Take care of you and stuff."

"Oh. Okay." Natsu nodded in understanding, adorably nibbling on her fingernail as she took in the libero's appearance. "You're short."

Nishinoya couldn't even muster up the energy to protest. Jesus, it was like meeting Hinata all over again, except this time, the kid was fun-sized.

Hinata giggled behind his hand, and _for the love of God,_ could the Hinata siblings _please_ give them just a moment to _breathe._ Being in the same room with Hinata all day was already tasking in and of itself, and while seeing his smile added about ten years onto at least one person's life daily, it was just so _hard_ to stay composed as the poster child for purity flounced around making everyone's hearts feel like they were going to explode and/or melt.

And now they were standing in front of _two_ rays of sunshine, both of which seemed to be working double time because if they didn't stop looking so goddamn precious in the next _five seconds,_ at least one person on the team was going to scoop at least one, if not both, of them into the biggest bear hug they'd ever received.

Luckily for Karasuno's sanity (as well as pride, composure, reputation, etc. etc.) Hinata averted his gaze from his friends to look fondly down at his baby sister. It wasn't much better, seeing as it only amplified the urge to coo at the pair, but at least they didn't feel like they were going to melt as severely.

"Would you like me to introduce you to all of them? I'm sure you'd like them very much."

Natsu nodded enthusiastically, returning her big brother's gaze with just as much adoration.

"Okay." Hinata gestured for his team to step forward. They obeyed, albeit hesitantly. After all, too much exposure to the sun(s), and you could burn right up. "You already know Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima, right?"

Natsu nodded again, no one missing how her cheeks heated up at the mention of the blond blocker's name, which only reddened when said blocker cast an uncharacteristically gentle smile her way. Hinata was well aware of his sister's strange puppy crush on his teammate, something he found both adorable and super freaking weird. He decided not to say anything, though. Natsu could pack a mean kick if she wanted to.

Hinata adjusted his finger so it was now pointing at the captain and vice-captain. "Those two there are Suga and Daichi, and the big one behind them is Asahi." Natsu lifted her gaze to meet Suga's, noticeably shyer than before. "They're third years. They're all really really nice even though they look a little intimidating." He nudged her forward. "Say hi."

"Hi." Natsu waved meekly up at the three. Asahi waved back just as gently. Suga put his hand over his heart and "awwwwed" softly. Daichi's gaze simply flickered from one ginger to the next, somehow managing to look bewildered and so so so _soft_ at the same time. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, sweetie." Suga slowly got on one knee, looking at the little girl at eye-level. Not for the first time, Asahi envied how easy his friend was able to communicate with kids. He should seriously think about becoming a kindergarten teacher or something. "We're very fond of your brother."

"Mmm." Something changed in Natsu's expression, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "That's cool! I am too."

Hinata laughed and ushered Natsu to the second group of people. "Now, these three here are Ennoshita, Nishinoya, and Tanaka. They're all second-years on my team."

"Oh!" The look in Natsu's eyes changed from bashfulness to recognition. She turned to Nishinoya. "You're Nishinoya, aren't you! My brother always talks about how cool you are. Once, he came home from a game and told me that you saved a ball with your leg!" She bounced up and down on her heels, suddenly energized. "He thinks you're _so_ awesome!"

"I-" If Nishinoya were a less prideful upperclassman (which he wasn't, but that wasn't the point), he would've burst into tears on the spot. Shouyou? _His_ Shouyou? _His_ underclassman talked about how cool he was, not just to flatter him in public but with his sister in private having no way of knowing the libero would ever hear the things he said? God, the self-control it took not to cheer out loud and give Tanaka the smuggest smirk _ever_. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Hinata was grinning wildly, utterly oblivious to the fact that his sister's confession had just made his upperclassman's entire _month._ "Don't I tell you all the time? I think you're amazing!"

If Nishinoya felt tears well up in his eyes, that was no one's business but his.

"Shouyou-"

The libero was cut off by Tanaka jabbing a thumb in his chest. "What about me? Has he said anything about me?" His voice was unnaturally fast. Frantic, even.

Natsu innocently blinked up at him. "You're Tanaka?"

"Yeah?"

"Oh." Natsu nodded resolutely, serious as ever. "He always says you're pretty fantastic too." If she noticed how Tanaka's chest puffed out in pride, she didn't acknowledge it. "Sometimes, he says he thinks of you as an older brother."

Tanaka choked, stammered for a moment, then stared at Hinata like the ginger had just handed him a million dollars.

In Tanaka's world, he might as well have.

Hinata just nodded and laughed, furthering confirming Natsu's statement and inflating Tanaka's ego tenfold.

Ennoshita just grinned and waved over the shoulders of the other two blubbering second-years, thankfully not wanting to delay introductions any longer. As cute as Hinata's sister was, she was _nothing_ to Hinata's little kitten sneeze he'd heard a few months back. After that little display (and after playing it on repeat in his mind for like one hundred times while arguing with Kinoshita and Narita about how exactly it'd happened), he was pretty sure he was immune to cute things for life. Plus, they had the whole weekend together. He could get to know her some other time.

"Hm." Hinata scanned the group for a moment. "I think that's everyone. You already know the first-years, and the other second years are coming a little later after they finish test prep."

"Oh?" Natsu turned to her brother, ever the curious sibling. "What are the other second years' names?"

"Kinoshita and Narita," Hinata replied smoothly. "Don't worry. They're super-duper nice. You'll meet them in like an hour or so."

"Okay!" Natsu smiled. "That sounds good."

"Mmhm." Hinata absentmindedly glanced at the clock above their stove. "Listen, I have to check in with my mom right about know and let her know me and Natsu aren't dead and stuff." He ruffled his sister's hair and bopped her on the nose. Yamaguchi, unable to contain himself, let out a little " _awww."_ "Can you show my friends the back living room so they can set up their stuff for tonight?"

"Sure thing!" Natsu shot him a double thumbs up. Hinata beamed.

"Good to hear." He winked at his teammates, ruffled Natsu's hair one more time, and disappeared into the house and out of their sight.

There was a moment of silence as everyone watched him leave, and in the _split second_ the boys looked away from Hinata's disappearing form and back to his sister, her face had changed completely.

Natsu's expression turned stormy, her commanding demeanor making her seem much older than just a little girl.

" _Listen._ " Her voice was still as high and girly as it had been before, but there was something, some _undertone_ or something too it that made it sound much more intimidating. The players froze, not having been prepared for whatever _this_ was at _all._ "My brother is the best person I know. He's kind, he's playful, and he's the greatest big brother _ever_." She frowned, scanning the group of boys with eyes much more calculated than they should be. "But he's a little too trusting. So, I've taken it upon myself to be his protector!"

She jammed her thumb proudly at her chest despite the contradiction between her cutesy actions and cold words.

"He loves you all a lot." She continued. "But no matter how great he always says you guys are or how fondly you look at him, I don't know if you deserve _my_ big brother's friendship." The pout was back again at full force. "Show me how much he actually means to you, and _maybe_ I'll consider letting you off the hook."

There was a perilous moment of silence. No one dared to breathe.

And just like that, after one last glare, Natsu's silly smile and little kitten eyes were back. "Except Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima." She beamed. "I already know you guys care about him, so I won't have to be judging you this weekend."

Kageyama choked, Yamaguchi grinned, and Tsukishima looked oddly flustered (and a little defensive, but there was no way he was going to say anything in fear of facing Hinata Natsu's wrath, which was apparently _much_ more deadly than anticipated.)

The rest of Karasuno, however, could only watch in a mixture of mute wonder and horror at the return of Natsu's almost toddler-like persona.

Ah, so that was the distinct difference between the Hinata siblings, the reason Hinata's actions and nativity seemed so much more pure and genuine.

Natsu knew how to control whatever cute genes she had, while Hinata didn't even know he had them and just let them spill out all over the place while simultaneously giving people heart attacks whenever he so much as smiled at them.

To sum things up, Hinata was the epitome of an angel.

Natsu was a devil disguised as one.

But of course, if winning over a cunning little sister was what it took to enjoy a weekend with Hinata, then that was exactly what they'd do.

Because _duh_ , it was Hinata. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiiiii i'm seriously so so sorry this took so long, and even more sorry that this is one of the shortest chapters I've written in this book so far. I absolutely ADORE Natsu (not as much as Hinata but still) and a looot of people were requesting I write her as like cute and protective and stuff and I REALLY wanted to get this chapter out so it's kinda rushed (I wrote this in like a day lol I suck) but I'm happy with it!!
> 
> Quick question before I go, though. How did y'all find this fic? I'm not asking to boost my ego or anything, I'm like genuinely curious. In all I seriously expected this to get like 50 kudos or something cuz it's my first post on ao3 and most people on here are SUCH brilliant writers it's insane, but y'all have shown me and this work so much love and appreciation and support and just UGH YOU MAKE MY HEART SO HAPPY I CAN'T. YOU ALL ARE SUCH BEAUTIFUL AND PRECIOUS PEOPLE WHO DESERVE EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. 
> 
> I LOVE Y'ALL SO MUCH!! THE SUPPORT IS AMAZING AND YOU ALL MAKE ME SO SO SO HAPPY I CAN'T EVEN THINK PROPERLY.


	20. Competitions, Cuddles, and Kageyama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Hinata reveals that he doesn't have a favorite hugger while at a sleepover during a training camp, pretty much everyone wants the privilege to be Hinata's go-to cuddle buddy. 
> 
> Kageyama thinks it's stupid.
> 
> Everyone else is totally into it. 
> 
> Hinata's just an adorable oblivious baby who has no idea why everyone's suddenly showering him in so much affection.

The question started out innocently enough.

It didn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, and it was mostly just the product of the mindless small talk all the teams had been engaging in for the past hour or so to keep themselves awake.

In all honesty, Tanaka hadn't meant anything by it. It wasn't even a question he'd thought he wanted an answer to at that point. It was just something that popped into his sleep-deprived head that happened to somewhat pertain to the theme of tonight's training camp sleepover: getting to know each other better.

Of course, the activity was pretty much futile, but the coaches of each respective team had insisted despite the ongoing rivalry between them. Everyone had been hesitant at first, because even though at least a few people could be considered acquaintances or maybe even friends, none of them were really _comfortable_ with each other to the extent that a sleepover would be a good idea.

The coaches had insisted, however, despite the player's protests, that a sleepover consisting of all the teams would be good for them to get to know each other so they could play on a more personal level than before (whatever that meant). It was kind of stupid, mostly because Tanaka thought at least half of the group were stuck up snobs (cough cough Oikawa cough) but also because the coaches had thought it would be a good idea to put over sixty high school boys in a room together and expect them _not_ to cause trouble.

Spoiler alert, they'd already broken three chairs, a leg of a table, and ripped up Nishinoya's bed. Whoops.

Hinata had been the center of the sleepover, for obvious reason, because despite all known laws of physics, he'd worked some of his voodoo magic and _somehow_ already become friends with _everyone_ on _every_ team, even before the sleepover had started. That had actually been one of their main arguments as to why the sleepover should've happened in the first place, the fact that Hinata was already on sleepover terms with everyone, but none of the coaches (except Ukai, but he hadn't said anything, much to Tanaka's dismay) had believed them, even after Tendou had whipped out his phone and scrolled through at least thirty pictures of the two together.

In short, Hinata had been passed around from team to team all night long. Tanaka was honestly impressed with how well he handled being the center of everyone's attention for almost the _entire_ night. The second-year had been a little wary of Hinata's social battery the whole night, ready to drag his underclassman back to their team's side of the room and away from everyone else the second he saw it draining, but Hinata had _basked_ in the attention. He never ran out of things to talk about or things to say no matter who he was chatting with, whether it be with players from Aobajohsai, Shiratorizawa, Johzenji, Nekoma, or his own team.

He'd been subsequently fawned over and cuddled (because Hinata's hugs were the _best,_ and Tanaka would fight anyone who says otherwise) for the better part of five hours, and he still hadn't been even the least bit sick of all the extra attention. His giggles had been just as loud, and his eyes had been just as sparkly and round as when the sleepover had just started.

It was intriguing, honestly, how clearly _infatuated_ the other teams were with the small middle blocker. Of course, Tanaka couldn't say anything since he'd probably fight someone for Hinata if he asked, but he'd never seen how interactions with Hinata looked from an outsider's point of view.

It was comical, almost, how easily Oikawa's gaze softened when it landed on Hinata, or the way Terushima's eyes positively lit up when he spotted the tell-tale orange curls amongst the myriad of volleyball players. Ushijima would smile, _actually smile,_ at Hinata's mindless, enthusiastic ravings, and Kenma would _literally_ cuddle with the first year as if it were an everyday occurrence.

It stroked Tanaka's pride a little bit if he was honest, and he was pretty sure the same could be said for the rest of Karasuno as well. Hinata went to _their_ school, and he was _their_ underclassman, not anyone else's. It was kind of satisfying knowing that even though every other volleyball player in the league _adored_ Hinata to the ends of the earth (relatable, by the way), he would always play for the Karasuno team and score points with his and Kageyama's quicks against everyone else, despite the way the ginger had them all wrapped around his tiny little finger.

But that had been hours ago, and even though Hinata's social battery hadn't run out yet, everyone else's had. It was three in the morning, and even though they had the next day off from volleyball to rest and recover from the previous rigorous week of training camp, everyone was exhausted. Not all of them could have unlimited energy like Hinata, not even the members of Johzenji.

Kenma had fallen asleep hours ago, followed closely by Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Yahaba. The rest were still awake, engaging in an unspoken competition of who could stay up the latest.

Which led to them making small talk, which led them to asking each other questions, which led to Tanaka asking his.

"Hinata, out of everyone here, who gives the best hugs?"

"Oh!" Hinata was just as energetic and vibrant as ever. At this point, everyone else was vying for second place. "That's a good one."

"It's me, isn't it." Oikawa's voice could be heard across the room, slightly drowsy in contrast to his usual sassiness and dramatic flair. He sniffed. "Of course it is. I'm perfect at everything."

Hinata nestled into his blanket, curling onto his side and in the direction of Oikawa's voice. "You do give good hugs-"

"Yes! I told you so! Iwa, didn't I tell you so?"

"-but I love everyone's hugs equally." Hinata finished, curling in on himself and brushing his curls away from his face with the underside of his hand. "I can't possibly pick the best one, y'know? All of your hugs make me feel warm and fuzzy inside!" He smiled, and Tanaka could've sworn the almost-pitch-black room got a little brighter. "They make my insides go _gwahh,_ but, like, the good kind of gwahh."

"That's nice, Shouyou." Kenma murmured sleepily from the ginger's side. Although everyone else was divided up by teams, Kenma had immediately set his sleeping mat next to Hinata and hadn't moved it since despite Kuroo's (admittedly desperate) pleading. "Your hugs are nice too."

And that was the end of it. The players moved onto the next topic of conversation without so much as a follow-up question, never to be brought up again.

Until the next day, that is.

xxx

Hinata woke up in somebody's arms. As always, his instinctive reaction was to suck up the other person's body heat and go back to sleep.

Waking up the cuddles wasn't at all foreign to the sunshine human known as Hinata Shouyou. It was actually a pretty regular occurrence, considering how many sleepovers he had per month and the fact that the ginger was just so small and _lovable_ that it was practically impossible for one not to wrap their arms around him once in his general vicinity.

Plus, Hinata _craved_ affection _._ It wasn't that he didn't get enough, because he certainly did and he was never afraid to initiate it himself if he wanted a hug or an arm around his shoulder at a particular moment. It was just that he liked hugs. They were probably up there on his list of favorite things other than volleyball and quick attacks.

But Hinata was Hinata, and the only way he could possibly stay still for long would be if someone sedated him with a sleep-inducing drug.

The ginger groaned and rolled onto his other side, unsurprised to find that it was Kenma who'd wrapped his arms around him and Kenma who was still dead to the world and blissfully oblivious to Iwaizumi and Oikawa's constant bickering in the far corner of the room and Kuroo's snoring on the opposite end.

"Psst. Kenma." Hinata poked the setters cheek. "Open your eyes. We need to shower before everyone else wakes up." That was true. Putting over sixty highschool boys together in the same room in a facility with only four bathrooms and eight showers apiece didn't make for a pleasant morning, and that was when all the teams were in their own rooms. The chaos of over fifty six-feet-tall boys stampeding to the bathroom right before breakfast and flattening him like a pancake was not one Hinata would like to experience, thank you very much. "Kenma. Wake up."

The only response he received was an eyebrow furrow and a soft huff.

"Kenma." Poke. "Kenma." Poke. "Kenma." Poke.

"Ohmygod, _what._ " Kenma batted his hand away and blearily opened his eyes, which were unfocused and groggy with sleep even though setter had been one of the first to pass out the night before. "Shouyou, it's like five in the morning. Go back to sleep."

"It's eight, Ken."

"Same difference."

"Not really."

"If it's before twelve, it's early."

"That's dumb." Hinata flicked Kenma's cheek before his eyes could slide back closed. " _C'mon._ No one's awake but Iwaizumi and Oikawa."

"Your point?" Kenma lazily nuzzled his pillow, burying half of his face into the soft fabric so only one eye was trained on Hinata and the other deep in the white cloth. "I don't see what that has to do with us getting up at the crack of dawn."

"The crack of dawn was at, like, four in the morning."

"I'm being sarcastic, Shou," Kenma muttered, eyes drooping once again. If whatever conversation this was turning into was going to end up with pointless bickering and repetitive comments, no amount of love for Hinata was going to be able to keep him awake and conscious for another five minutes. "Just tell me what you want." He paused for a moment. "Sorry, that sounded rude. Please elaborate on whatever point you're making so I can turn you down and go back to sleep."

Hinata just smiled, and Kenma _swore_ his heart constricted a little at how _adorable_ the ginger looked with mussed up curls, brown eyes soft from sleep, and the rare view of his freckles sprinkled across his grinning cheeks.

Stupid Hinata and his stupidly irresistible charms. Not even the hours of hanging out together and playing video games had built up his immunity enough to simply just ignore _that._

"I think we should go to the bathrooms and shower now." Hinata continued, tapping his foot under his covers absentmindedly. "Because if we wait for breakfast to be called at nine, everyone else will probably squish and kill us trying to run to brush their teeth or something."

There were some flaws in Hinata's plan, one major one being that all Hinata would have to do to get a bathroom to himself was simply ask and flash his puppy-dog eyes for a split second, but it was a good point. Though Kenma wasn't blessed with Hinata's undeniable charisma, he _was_ blessed (more like cursed) with Hinata's height. The middle blocker was right about the fact that they'd probably be crushed and run over if they waited another hour to get washed up, but Kenma was just so _comfortable._

"I'm fine," Kenma said between yawns, eyes randomly finding Hinata's. "I'll just tie my hair back in a bun or something. If you want to wash up, I'll give you the bathroom all to yourself."

"You sure?" Hinata frowned a little bit and brushed a few stray curls out of his eyes to get a proper look at his friend. "Each stall has two showers. I don't mind sharing."

Kenma merely shook his head, cat-like eyes drooping once again. Damn these sleeping mats for being so comfortable. "No, it's okay. You can have your privacy."

"If you say so."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Why aren't you going?" Kenma asked after a few quiet seconds. "I seriously don't want to shower."

"Your arm's wrapped around me," Hinata said simply, fiddling with Kenma's fingers and massaging the sore joints as if to punctuate his point. "I can't exactly, y'know, go anywhere."

"Oh." Kenma was quiet for a moment, but he didn't let go. "Does it feel good?"

"What?"

"My hug. Does it feel good?"

"Of course!" Hinata said quickly, earnest and genuine as anything. "I love your hugs, Kenma!"

"Hm." Kenma smiled his signature small smile, eyes crinkling just a little bit more than usual. "Good to hear." He released his grip on Hinata for the first time that morning, taking the opportunity to stretch his own sore muscles as he watched the ginger scramble upright, grab his towel and toothbrush, and speed out of the room with determined urgency, all with fond golden eyes.

"You fucking snake." Kuroo's voice filtered from the other side of the room, slightly rough from disuse but loud enough to get his point across. "You're not so slick. I know what you're doing."

Kenma flipped him off reflexively, not even wasting the energy to roll over to face the third year, instead opting to snuggle even further into his pillow and pull the covers up to his shoulders. He smiled a little despite himself.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kuroo."

xxx

"So we're doing this, right?" Daichi weaved his hands together and placed his chin on his open palms, carefully observing the volleyball players present in their makeshift little semi-circle. "Like, this is a thing?"

"It's a stupid thing," Kageyama grumbled from the side, only to be shushed a few moments later. He sniffed in distaste and went back to scrolling through his phone as he waited for his partner to return from wherever the hell he'd run off to so they could _actually_ practice their quicks in peace for once. It was a free day at training camp, almost like a reward of sorts for making it through one rigorous week of endless drills and practice games. It would be nice to practice their attack without Tanaka screaming in their ears or Oikawa mocking him from the sidelines (he always praised Hinata though, which got on Kageyama's nerves), but of course, the hyperactive dumbass was nowhere to be found.

But because of that fact, of course, the rest of the teams had decided it was the perfect time to lay out the details of a _Hinata hugging competition._

Fucking idiots. Kageyama didn't know how these whipped morons could function every day.

So far, everyone was into it besides himself, Tsukishima (for obvious reasons, one of them being that the blond was probably allergic to physical affection or something), and Kenma, because according to Kuroo, the two of the smallest players 'cuddled together all the time so it wouldn't be fair to the rest of us.'

Kenma had called him a coward. Kuroo had merely shrugged and insisted.

In the end, it had been decided that Kenma _wouldn't_ actively participate in the upcoming competition since Kuroo, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi had all been direct witnesses to the faux blond cuddling Hinata when he'd woken up. According to them, Kenma had already had his 'turn' to prove his hugs were the best to Shouyou.

The rules of this little competition were that each player, whether they be on Hinata's team or not, all got _one_ chance to hug the ginger in the time between breakfast and dinner. That one chance would be all the time they got to convince Hinata that they were the best hugger, and after the time limit expired, it had been decided that one of them would coax sweet, innocent, naive Hinata into revealing who he thought was the best hugger.

It was also decided that no one would go to bed until they received a straight answer, which Kageyama thought was fucking stupid because Hinata was as lovable as he was stubborn and kind. There was _no way_ he would _actually_ reveal his cuddle-buddy preference (if he even had one) in front of everybody for fear of hurting someone's feelings.

In short, the competition was basically pointless. Kageyama was pretty sure everyone else knew that too, but they just wanted an excuse to hug the embodiment of sunshine and rainbows, which, honestly, would be relatable if Hinata wasn't already so _clingy_ with him all the time.

"This is dumb," Kageyama mumbled again, ignoring the stink eyes he received. "Why does this matter anyway?"

"Because Hinata's hugs are the _best!"_ Terushima threw out his arms, hitting Bobata in the face in the process. "He's like a _puppy!_ His eyes get all big and sparkly, and his smile is _so_ wide, and his hair is _so_ fluffy I just want to _die-"_

_"_ What the hell does any of that have to do with hugs?"

" _Everything,_ my dear Tobio." Oikawa singsonged, slinging an arm around Iwaizumi only to be pushed off a second later. "It's the _experience."_

"It's like cuddling a kitten," Tendou added. He'd been relatively quiet throughout this whole ordeal, strangely enough. "Or a puppy. Or a bunny. He just, like, _nuzzles_ into your stomach and his hugs are so _warm-"_

"Jesus, you guys are _hopeless._ " Tsukishima groaned. He'd long since given up trying to block out the conversation with his headphones and was now huddled about as far away as possible from everyone else in a desperate attempt to ignore all the sickly-sweet affectionate words practically oozing out of almost every player. "It's just a hug, goddamn."

There were a few beats of silence.

"Tsukishima," Ushijima said slowly. It was the first time he'd spoken all morning, meaning his voice was still thick from sleep and about two times deeper and three times more intimidating than usual. "You've never been hugged by Hinata, have you."

"Uh, no?" Tsukishima's tone was flat, and his eyes were devoid of emotion. "He's s shrimp. I don't see how someone who comes up to my shoulder at best can give hugs worth all _this."_

"He's actually rather quite fond of Hinata," Suga interjected quickly, smiling graciously at the teams before Tsukishima could potentially get yelled at (or beat up, depends on the player) for 'disliking' the precious angel child. "He's just a little emotionally constipated."

" _I AM NOT-"_

"Anywayyy..." Kuroo turned his attention back to Daichi. "So we all agree to respect Hinata's opinion when it comes down to it, correct?"

There were several nods of confirmation and agreeable murmurs, to no one's surprise. Kageyama scoffed.

"Again, why does this matter?"

Oikawa fixed him the stink-eye once again. "How would you feel if you got told you have the best hugs by someone like _Hinata Shouyou._ " He sat back, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning against the wall. "Pretty damn good, I bet. Imagine getting hugs from shorty _all the time_ because he thought you were the best hugger. Imagine the pure _bliss_ and _comfort_ you would feel every day."

Kageyama already _got_ random spontaneous back hugs from Hinata every day (whether willingly or not), so that would be nothing new, but he kept his mouth shut.

"You don't even see him every day." Tsukishima pointed out, which was yet _another_ thing everyone in the competition had silently and unanimously decided to ignore. "The only people who would even benefit from this competition are us." He cocked his head at the rest of the Karasuno team.

"It's for the _title,_ " Hanamaki answered smoothly. "Even if the winner isn't on Karasuno, which they won't be because Aobjohsai is superior in every way including hugging, but that's besides the point-" Asahi had to physically slap a hand over Nishinoya's mouth to stop the libero from interrupting. "-then they'll at least _know_ that Hinata likes their hugs the best."

"Why're all of you so freakin' obsessed with Hinata," Tsukisima muttered under his breath, and Kageyama could physically _see_ Suga resisting the urge to facepalm. He wasn't sure if their resident blond just had a death wish or if he was just plain blind to everyone's adoration of Hinata, but there were only so many passive-aggressive comments he could make about the ginger without getting a fist to the face. "Honestly. You're all like a bunch of lovesick puppies."

"Precisely. Thank you, Tsukishima." Ushijima nodded firmly before turning back to the conversation, leaving the blond blocker sputtering behind him. "May I ask, are there any limits to this competition?"

All eyes went to Daichi, otherwise known as Hinata's adoptive dad, and thus, the rule-maker of this competition. He cleared his throat, putting on what Kageyama liked to call his 'captain face.' "There are a few. Number one, no interfering with other people's hugs. This is going to be a fair competition and one based on Hinata's honest opinion. Number two, the maximum hug time one person gets is ten seconds, meaning one person can't just latch onto Hinata for the entire day and not let anyone else get a turn."

"GODDAMN IT, THAT WAS MY PLAN."

"YOU FUCKING SNAKE!"

Daichi snapped his fingers at Semi and Shirabu, exchanging a subtle glance with Ushijima. "Moving onto number three. If Hinata asks any of you to stop hugging him for any reason, whether it be that he's uncomfortable or just wants to grab something, you need to listen. Clear?"

"Clear." Several voices murmured, many clearly not happy with the development. It wasn't that they would touch Hinata when he didn't want to be touched, because even with things as innocent as hugs, consent was necessary, but the little ginger was hyperactive as _hell._ No matter the circumstances or situation, he was basically incapable of sitting still for more than five minutes, meaning that many, if not most, of them would be pushed off to the side or asked to let go in favor of the ginger stretching his legs a little bit and running laps around the gym.

It was insane, actually, how many laps he could do. Whenever they did endurance training in camp, more often than not, Hinata was the only player not collapsed on the floor in a sweaty mess.

"Everyone good?" Daichi clarified one last time, searching everyone's gazes for any form of hesitance or unwillingness. Finding none, not that he expected to, he simply nodded and settled back against the wall. "Okay then, so-"

"What are you guys doing?"

Hinata stood in the doorway of the spare room, clad in a simple white t-shirt and practice shorts with his hair gloriously fluffed up and damp from the shower and his freckles on full display (for once) as he regarded them all with curious, big brown eyes. He scratched his cheek absentmindedly and cocked his head, and at that moment, he just looked so freaking _adorable_ and _kitten-like_ that Kageyama was pretty sure he heard at least ten choked coughs.

A few moments later, however, when Hinata's spell wore off, the room dissolved into utter chaos.

"HINATA!" About twenty people sprang up at once, and another ten were knocked over by flailing limbs and sharp elbows.

"Hi?" Hinata waved sheepishly, eyes still delightfully curious despite the commotion. "What are you-" His sentence was cut short as he was swept into a bone-crushing hug from Nishinoya, who happened to be the closest to the door and was able to weave expertly through the lumbering bodies of the other volleyball players to get to his underclassman. He practically barrelled into the ginger, who accepted his hugs with open arms and a gleeful smile. "Hi, Noya!" His voice took on a whole other tone altogether, changing from one of faint confusion to one of childlike delight.

"Hey, Shouyou!" Nishinoya returned his enthusiasm with ease, squeezing his midsection one more time before letting go and stepping back with a satisfied smirk. "Where were you?"

"I was- _OOMPH_." His sentence was once again cut short by Kuroo wrapping his arm around the middle blocker's waist, trapping the younger into a firm back hug. Hinata _melted_ into the embrace, as he did with all forms of affection, but raised a quizzical eyebrow over his shoulder.

Kuroo just grinned. "Carry on."

"Oh. Okay!" Hinata turned back to Nishinoya, who looked decidedly more put off than before as he glared at Kuroo from over his underclassman's shoulder. "I was just showering up. No big deal."

"You were gone for like an hour," Yaku commented, smoothly switching places with Kuroo and wrapping Hinata in his own hug. Kenma said you went to the bathroom around eight."

Hinata wrinkled his nose, not even slightly deterred by how he was casually handed off by the Nekoma captain. "Yeah, but this time I actually _washed_ my hair with fancy conditioner and stuff instead of just rinsing it." He ran a hand through his curls as a demonstration, and sure enough, it was able to run through the fluff smoothly without getting caught up in any tangles or knots. "See?"

"Oh _wow._ " Oikawa slipped into his peripherals and wrapped Hinata in a side hug the millisecond Yaku unwrapped his arms from around the middle blocker's waist, and ran a slender hand through the first-year's bangs. Out of the corner of his eye the ginger could've _sworn_ he saw the libero glare at the setter's actions, but he turned his back to the duo before he could get a proper look. "Your hair's so _soft_ today, Shou."

"I know!" Hinata positively _beamed_ up at the Aobajohsai player, and Kageyama would be lying if he said he didn't smirk a little at the way he could _physically see_ the gears in Oikawa's head freeze in place at the sight. The middle blocker ruffled his hair, sending little droplets of water flying onto everyone nearby. "I've been meaning to give my hair a good cleaning since _forever,_ but I've just never had time to."

"That's great, Hinata," Suga commented dryly, staring daggers at Oikawa. "I can't believe you were able to explain all that in only _ten seconds._ "

Some unspoken conversation passed between the two setters. The tension in the room momentarily spiked before Oikawa let go of Hinata's shoulder, albeit reluctantly, after giving it one last comforting squeeze.

"Uhm." Hinata's eyes flitted between the two setters. "Am I missing something or...?"

"Nothing at all." Suga murmured, gaze still fixed on Oikawa even as he made his way back to where Iwaizumi was standing. Hinata could've sworn he saw just a slight flicker of competitiveness in his teammate's eyes, but it was replaced by fondness just as quickly as the setter finally returned his gaze to his underclassman. He smiled gently and tucked Hinata into his side, giving him a kind-of-awkward-but-really-freaking-comfortable hug. Unable to resist, he brushed the fluffy orange bangs away from the blocker's brow. "Do you want breakfast?"

"Yes!" Just like that, the childlike enthusiasm was back. "Can we _please?_ I barely had any dinner yesterday, and I'm _starving_." He turned to the rest of the observing players, bouncing on the ball of his feet as best he could while lucked in Suga's embrace. "Do you guys mind if I start eating without you since I already washed up, or do you want me to wait?"

The room was silent for a solid three seconds. Holy crap, _bless_ this boy and his golden heart.

"No!"

"Go eat food! We don't mind."

"NO, OHMYGOD IT'S FINE."

"Don't wait for us!"

"You're so fucking _sweet ohmygod-"_

"You don't have to ask us!"

"You deserve first dibs on breakfast anyway."

A swirl of protests rippled around the room, everyone either shaking their heads, waving their hands, and frantically urging him to go and eat before they _melted_ from how fucking adorable this boy was.

"I'll go with you!" Terushima exclaimed suddenly, swooping Hinata out of Suga's arms and into his own as soon as his internal clock hit ten seconds. "I showered last night anyway, so it's fine!"

"But you didn't-"

"Not now, Futamata," Terushima muttered, wrapping his arms around Hinata's midsection and plopping his head down on the mop of ginger curls. He patted the boy's stomach soothingly, internally complimenting himself on his stellar hugging skills. "So whadda you say, shorty? Breakfast?"

"Yes!" Hinata peeked up at Terushima from under his lashes and grinned. Terushima choked a little at the sight, but the younger didn't seem to notice. " _Please._ I'm gonna _die_ if I don't get food in the next five minutes."

"Your wish is my command, Shortstack!" Terushima declared, taking one arm off of Hinata's waist to open the door. He frowned as he caught Daichi's gaze in the mirror, clearing telling him his ten seconds was up. He rolled his eyes, sighed, and uncurled his other arm to gesture dramatically at the empty hallway. "After you."

xxx

Something was off today.

Now, Hinata may be naive and blissfully unaware of most of the world around him since he unconsciously chose to only focus on the good in life, but that didn't mean he was stupid. His friends had _definitely_ been acting weird, and everyone had _definitely_ been acting out of character.

Thinking back, Kenma, Kageyama, and Tsukishima were the only ones who _weren't_ acting like completely different people. Kageyama and Tsukishima had done nothing but basically ignore him all day, and the only time he'd been able to talk to Kenma was when they'd been cuddling that morning. Since then, he'd been too swarmed with everyone else to catch a glimpse of him again.

It was no secret that Hinata _loved_ attention. He _thrived_ around people, _especially_ fellow volleyball players who were just as passionate about the game as he was. He was about as extroverted as they come, and adding onto that, as _touchy_ as they come as well. Besides maybe volleyball and his family or something, there was nothing that he loved more than affectionate skinship. It was just so _nice._ He wasn't touch-starved or anything (he was very far from it, actually, with a clingy little sister and over one-hundred highschoolers ready and willing to hug him at any time if he so asked), but he would _never_ stop loving the warmth and security platonic cuddles gave him.

This, though...this was a little much.

Nishinoya hugging him wasn't all that uncommon. Though he wasn't the most touchy of his teammates, he was spontaneous and did what he wanted. The libero had given him random (and _amazingly_ comfortable) hugs before, so that wasn't too strange. Oikawa and Suga hugging him wasn't an irregular occurrence either. Suga always had a parent-like air around him, and he was honestly Hinata's go-to person on his team (excluding Yamaguchi) that he went to when he wanted advice or to talk about something. Those talks usually led to hugs, and Suga had made it an unconscious habit to embrace or touch his underclassman in some way whenever they were talking to each other.

Oikawa was pretty clingy as well. Whereas he hung off Iwaizumi like a koala, he wrapped Hinata up in his arms and refused to let go whenever he saw the ginger outside of games or training camps. He usually rambled about how "cuddly" and "adorable" the blocker was whenever he did so, but Hinata was generally too busy laughing or returning the embrace with matching enthusiasm to pay attention.

Kuroo and Yaku, though, were a different story. Hinata didn't think he'd ever gotten a hug from Yaku before, and while he'd embraced the Nekoma captain several times, the elder wasn't one to initiate physical affection between the two. That was more Kenma's style, having overtime gotten comfortable with silently hugging Hinata whenever he pleased, whether it be cuddling with him or just a casual arm around the shoulder. Kuroo had never done that with either Kenma _or_ Hinata. That was partly because Hinata was basically the only one Kenma permitted to give and take physical affection from on a daily basis, but also because it seemed Kuroo was content with looking at their cuddle piles from the sidelines (and snapping pictures of them, apparently), with fond eyes instead of engaging in them, which he was always welcome to.

It was usually Hinata that had to hug Kuroo first, not the other way around. Still, he hadn't questioned it. Who was he to reject a hug from the great Nekoma captain?

When Terushima had hugged him, he hadn't even batted an eye. Soon after meeting them, he'd quickly learned that the Johzenji players were naturally affectionate people, so random back hugs and hair ruffles were pretty standard when it came to the yellow-clad team. So yeah, Terushima's arms randomly wrapping around his waist didn't trigger any alarm bells.

What had, however, was how quickly he'd let go.

Not that Hinata was counting, but Johzenji's captain had let go of him almost _exactly_ after ten seconds of hugging him. That alone was enough to make him hesitate a bit before going to get breakfast, because Terushima usually didn't let go until he _absolutely had to._ He was clingier than Oikawa and Natsu _combined,_ and though Hinata had zero problems with that (he actually indulged the captain in hugs a lot if he was honest), it was _weird_ for him to simply relinquish his grip on Hinata after opening the door. Under usual circumstances, Hinata was _certain_ Terushima would've clung onto him all the way to the cafeteria.

At first, Hinata had just shaken the feeling off. The distinct lack of volleyball was probably just making him antsy for action, and he was probably just reading too much into his friend's actions.

But then, breakfast had come.

Long story short, it was a mess. A big, blubbering, confusing mess.

The first ten minutes or so of breakfast had been peaceful. It had been just him and Terushima enjoying some nice miso soup and rice in a pleasant, quiet atmosphere. Usually, Hinata hated the quiet, but the kind of quiet filling the cafeteria was a relaxing kind of quiet, not the dead kind of quiet he despised with every fiber of his being. The coaches of each respective team were nowhere to be found either, and everyone else besides the middle blocker and the captain was busy washing up or getting ready. The only people present in the dining hall were them two.

In the very back of his mind, Hinata had vaguely registered the fact that Terushima hadn't touched him, like, _at all_ for their entire meal.

Before he could dwell on it, however, the cafeteria doors _burst_ open to reveal nearly sixty very chaotic and messy volleyball players, all of which made a beeline for Hinata's table.

The next few minutes were a blur for Hinata. All he could remember were constant arms hugging him, hands petting his hair, and bright smiles being sent his way. He basked in all of it, of course, because he loved his friends and relished the feeling of being warm and comfortable and safe and protected in their humongous embraces, but he was just so _confused._ Was he not giving them enough hugs or something? Was he denying them from the affection such lovely people deserved? He just couldn't figure out what was going on.

His eyes sought Kageyama's, cocking his head at the boy and lips adorning an unconscious pout in confusion, but his setter's face had merely pinched up as he looked away.

Pssht. Rude.

After that initial rejection, his eyes instinctively found Kenma's. His perplexed pout deepened even further as he was, quite literally, plopped down into yet another person's lap. Kenma just fixed him with a somewhat sullen stare, and if Hinata wasn't mistaken, he would've said the second-year looked a bit...jealous? Frustrated? Petty? A wide variety of emotions flickered across his face, each one too brief for Hinata to identify.

Eventually, all the commotion had settled down a tiny bit. Hinata honestly wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, because while most of his friends were acting super out of character and touchy, that didn't mean he _wanted_ them to stop cuddling him at every opportune moment. Everyone had taken a break from snatching Hinata back and forth to eat their breakfast, which should've happened a lot sooner since it would've saved a lot of people a lot of trouble.

The coaches had entered the room a few minutes before this point and had been met with an eyeful of Semi wrapped around Hinata and gently patting his hair while the rest of the volleyball players gathered around them. Ukai had just waved it off, muttering something about it being "Just another Monday." The other coaches had just gone along with it.

The events that took place after breakfast weren't much different. Hinata had initially been planning on practicing his quicks with Kageyama since today was a free day and it was likely that there wouldn't be anyone at the gym, but from the way things were looking, it seemed his morning wasn't going to go as planned.

As soon as breakfast was deemed finished, the Aobajohsai players (minus Oikawa, for whatever reason) had practically dragged Hinata back to the room they'd all slept in, sat in a circle with a _very_ confused puppy-eyed ginger in the center, and passed him around from person to person, each one wrapping him in their own warm embrace for no more than ten seconds at a time before someone else got their turn, _including_ Mad Dog and Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi, despite his temper, actually gave very mother-like comforting hugs. Hinata had hugged him a few times before, but much like Kuroo, he _always_ had to be the one to initiate it. Also like Kuroo, Iwaizumi was content with watching Oikawa squeeze the life out of Hinata whenever they were together but not joining in.

It was when Mad Dog hugged him that Hinata knew that something was _very_ off. It wasn't that Mad Dog wasn't a nice person, because he was, but he just didn't _do_ hugs. It wasn't his style. His embrace was surprisingly gentle, however, when Hinata was finally pulled into his lap. It felt nice, and he probably could've snuggled up and fallen asleep right there if this whole situation wasn't so _freaking weird._

Ushijima had nearly scared him out of his wits about an hour later with his surprise back hug. He'd come very close to dropping his water bottle and elbowing someone in the face when he felt two arms warping around his shoulders and the sensation of being pulled into Ushijima's massive frame. The captain didn't even say anything, merely holding the middle blocker in his embrace for a solid ten seconds before gently patting his head and walked right back out the door.

In all, the day he was supposed to have dedicated to practicing quicks with his partner ended up having almost zero productivity. He spent more time being cuddled or hugged or held by someone than he did standing on his own, and on top of that, the last time he'd seen Kageyama was sitting at the table at breakfast and passing by him in the hallway at lunch. So far, the only one who hadn't so much as laid a finger on him was the grumpy setter. Even Tsukishima had taken the time to give the ginger the rare semi-affectionate hair ruffle instead of the usual painful poke.

Speaking of Kageyama, after Hinata had gotten a hug, or is Tsuki's case at least _some_ form of affection, from everyone he could think of, he _finally_ found the setter throwing the ball up to himself in the vacant lot outside of the gym.

"Finally." Hinata groaned, tension leaking out of his shoulders at the sight. "I've been looking for you all _day,_ Bakayama. Did you just decide to disappear on me or something?"

Kageyama caught the volleyball in his hands and regarded Hinata with a long, long look. His lips were pursed, and his eyes were just as pinched as they'd been at breakfast that morning.

"Sorry." He said finally, gaze returning to the ball as he started setting it up to himself again. "I just figured you would be a little...preoccupied today."

"What does preoccupied mean?"

"Uh, I guess it usually means when a person is busy with something else-"

"I know how to speak Japanese, stupid." Hinata rolled his eyes. "I mean like what does it mean in this _context._ "

"It means preoccupied," Kageyama stated, scoffing at nothing in particular. "That's it."

"That doesn't even make any sense, Bakayama."

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't."

Kageyama fixed him with a stare, once again catching the volleyball and tucking it under his arm. "Are you seriously going to tell me you got even more than an hour to yourself today?"

Hinata opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Well no, but-"

"See." Kageyama flicked Hinata on the forehead, ignoring the boy's strangled cries of betrayal. "Preoccupied."

Hinata scowled and rubbed the sore spot on his brow. From what he could tell, there was already a red mark forming. Stupid Kageyama and his stupidly strong setter fingers. "You're rude."

"You're short."

"You're dumb."

"You're a shrimp."

"Are all your insults about my height?"

"Yes."

The boys stood in silence for another few moments, most of which consisted of the two just silently staring at each other.

"Do you know what was going on today?" Hinata asked after a few moments of deliberation. The worst he could do was just say no, and the two could go back to their usual banter. If he could provide an answer, then great. If he couldn't, it would leave Hinata with more questions than ever, but at least they could finally practice quicks. "Like, with all the hugging and stuff."

"You get hugs from everyone all the time," Kageyama replied simply, and Hinata nearly cracked a smile at how poor a job he did at dodging the question. "It's no biggie."

Hinata groaned and draped himself over Kageyama's back, batting away the setter's hands as he tried to push him off. "Just _tell_ me, Bakayama. I know you know, and it's getting _annoyinggg._ "

Kageyama twisted his head around to glare at him. "What, all the hugging?"

"No, dummy." Hinata scoffed, applying even more pressure to Kageyama's back. "Because I don't know what's going on. I _love_ hugs, but I'm getting them from _everybody,_ including people who rarely give me hugs daily. I swear to god I'm in a parallel universe or something."

"You're not in a parallel universe, dumbass."

"Gee, thanks. All my troubles have suddenly disappeared with your wise words." Hinata rolled over and came nose to nose with his setter, puppy-eyes wide and face morphed into an unintentional pout. " _Seriously,_ Kageyama. Can you please just tell me what's going on? I know you know."

Kageyama looked at him for a long moment with a strange look on his face, sighed, and pushed the ginger off of him. "It's stupid."

"So tell me."

"Shut up. I'm getting to that." Kageyama threw the ball at Hinata's chest. The blocker caught it with ease, tucking it under his arm as he regarded his teammate carefully. Kageyama spread his palms. "Just...promise you won't tell anyone else I told you, okay?"

Hinata nodded firmly. "I promise."

Kageyama returned the nod, looked around for a few seconds to make sure no one else was potentially lurking in the shadows, and let his hands drop to his sides as he turned to face his spiker once more. "Good. So basically, last night when you said you didn't have a favorite hugger, everyone else kind of took that as a challenge. Since they all think that you give the best hugs, like, ever, they decided to have a contest between themselves to see who's hugs you liked the best. There were rules and everything, like no one can interfere with another person's hug, the hug can only be for ten seconds, only one hug allowed per person, and other stupid stuff like that."

"Oh." Hinata blinked. Out of all the (admittedly outrageous) possibilities that had run through his head, a hugging contest wasn't one of them. "Uh, when were they planning on telling me this?"

"At dinner tonight," Kageyama responded. "They were gonna try and surprise you into answering, but they didn't take into account that they're all a bunch of fucking morons who probably made you too confused about the situation to focus on the hugs you received, right?"

"True," Hinata muttered, but his face brightened almost instantly as he locked eyes with Kageyama with something akin to renowned vigor in his eyes. "But that's okay! I already have a favorite hugger anyway."

"Wha- DUMBASS ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS? IF YOU'D HAVE JUST TOLD THE TRUTH LAST NIGHT WE ACTUALLY WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO PRACTICE OUR QUICK TODAY YOU LYING PIECE OF SHI-"

"Geez, calm down," Hinata muttered, taking a few precautionary steps away from his setter for good measure. "It's not _my_ fault that not answering started a competition. That's a little over the top anyway, don't you think? Holding a whole competition just to see whose hugs I like the best?"

Kageyama cursed under his breath. This kid was so oblivious to the power he held over all of them that it was sometimes infuriating. "If only you knew."

"What?"

"Nothing." Kageyama crossed his arms and stared daggers at the middle blocker. Neither said anything for a solid few seconds. "Well?"

Hinata wrinkled his nose. The smell of barbeque was starting to filter out of the cafeteria's open windows, and it was making his mouth water. Dinner would surely be ready soon. "Well what?"

"Well?" Kageyama made a swooping gesture with his hand, still boring holes into Hinata's head. "Are you gonna tell me who gives the best hugs or what?"

"Oh." Before the setter could react, Hinata's face split open into the _biggest,_ most _genuine_ grin he'd ever seen, and declared, "It's you, Bakayama! Obviously!"

"Wha-" Kageyama could physically _feel_ his brain short-circuiting. It was that smile, that _stupidly cheerful and lovable smile_ that got him every time. _Everyone_ was weak for Hinata's smile, and _no one_ could deny it when one faceful of his dazzling grin was all it took to reduce any of them to a sputtering, incoherent mess. Kageyama was only holding it together so well externally because he had to be subjected to it for hours _daily,_ and thus _mastered_ the poker face when it came to Hinata.

Internally, though, Kageyama's heart felt like it was pressing against his ribcage from how much it was swelling because of Hinata's smile and sparkly, honest eyes.

He could compose himself enough, however, to spit out one shaky, studdering word. "M-me?"

"Of course you!" Hinata replied, as cheery as ever and blissfully unaware of how badly his bubbliness affected his setter. "You give the _best_ hugs. I've always thought so, honestly. I know you don't like skinship that much, so I usually try not to ask for them, but they're just so _warm_ and _comfortable,_ and they actually make me feel really safe and secure, and-"

Hinata was rambling now, and Kageyama's insides were officially gooey with emotions. How the hell was he supposed to react to the literal embodiment of sunshine and rainbows and puppies spewing compliments left and right about his _hugs?_ It was already overwhelming in its own right, but the effect was only increased tenfold since it was _Hinata_ saying it with _such_ genuine smiles and excitement. His eyes were as sparkly as anything, and he was practically vibrating in place as he went on and on.

" _Please,_ Kageyama!" The setter was snapped out of his Hinata-induced daze by the familiar whiny tone he'd come to recognize over the months. "Just once? I won't if you don't want to, but it would make my _night._ "

"What?" Kageyama had been so focused on concentrating on not collapsing on the spot that he hadn't heard a word of what his partner had just said, but he already knew there was _no_ way he could refuse the blocker while he was looking up at him with shiny honey eyes, a dazzling, joyful smile, and fluffy hair only enhancing his dainty kitten-like features. "I- sure, do whatever you want."

"YAY!" Hinata _dove_ into Kageyama's arms, almost sending the unprepared setter stumbling back before he was able to regain his balance. He stared down at his spiker, eyes wide as he took in the face buried into his chest and arms wrapping him into possibly the warmest bear hug he'd ever received. Stray wisps of orange hair tickled his nose and chin, making him scrunch up his face a little.

He froze, unsure of what to do because he seldom gave physical affection and was about as inexperienced as they come when it came to it. Hinata untucked his head and looked up at the setter with hopeful, hopeful eyes, squeezing his midsection even tighter in a silent signal.

Kageyama slowly, hesitantly, wrapped his arms around Hinata and hugged him back.

All at once, whatever tension or stress Hinata had been storing up instantly released. His body went almost lax in Kageyama's hold, and he could feel the blocker's slow, long exhale of relief through his shirt. He nuzzled into the setter's shirt even further, and for not the first time, he really did look like a small, baby, tabby kitten cuddling into a piece of cloth.

"See? _This_ is why you're my favorite hugger." Hinata mumbled, barely audible against the fabric. Kageyama honestly didn't even know what he was doing to make Hinata enjoy his hugs above all others, but if it elicited _this_ reaction, maybe he ought to indulge his spiker's affection addiction a little bit more than he usually did. "Thank you, Bakayama."

"What, for hugging you?" Kageyama still didn't let go, and Hinata still didn't push away.

"No." Hinata mumbled again. "For trusting me so much. I know it takes a lot for you to reach out and be affectionate, and it makes me feel really good that you're comfortable enough to do it with me." He sighed in contentment. "You really should do it more often. I'm not kidding when I say your hugs are freaking _incredible._ "

"O-oh." Kageyama sputtered, face suddenly flaming red. He'd opted to hug Hinata _,_ not for his feelings and insecurities to be bluntly called out, thank you very much. "Y-yeah, well-"

"I'm not calling you out or anything," Hinata said simply, because leave it to the sunshine child to pretty much read his mind. "I just know how you think, and that's cool. You've grown a lot as a person."

Kageyama grumbled something unintelligible. "Stop sounding so wise and serious, dumbass. It doesn't suit you."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I definitely think so."

A comfortable silence fell over the two.

"Your hugs really are the best."

"Thanks, dumbass."

"Don't mention it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY Y'ALL I'M SO SORRY I BASICALLY DIED FOR A SECOND THERE BUT I'M BACK NOWWWW
> 
> it's 3 am and i'd usually write more in the endnotes but I'm exhausted so I hope you liked the chapter and ILYSM STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!
> 
> (also i am all better now and what I had was not corona, just a very poorly timed case of strep throat and a cold)


	21. P is for Protection (And Preciousness)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three times the members of Karasuno protected Hinata and the one time they made their duty official.

Karasuno had always had a rather tight-knit bond.

Of course, it was to be expected because no volleyball team that plays and practices with each other every day _hates_ each other, but Karasuno was a particular case. It wasn't just about the fact that they all went to the same school and played volleyball together daily, nor the fact that they saw each other for somewhere around five hours every day without a break. That was the case with _all high school_ volleyball teams, whether they enjoyed each other's company or not.

Karasuno had a collective comradery that other teams in their league seemed to lack quite a bit of. It wasn't that the people on the team didn't have favorites amongst them, like Tanaka to Nishinoya or everyone to Hinata, but for whatever reason, the group making up Karasuno's volleyball team had just _clicked_ in a way the no other volleyball team in their league had. That wasn't to say that the players from their rival schools weren't close, because they were, but those students tended to split up into duos or trios and never banded together as an actual _team_ unless it had to do with something volleyball related or it just happened to be circumstantial.

Oikawa would have regular sleepovers with Iwaizumi. Tendou would often coerce Ushijima into coming over to his house on the weekends and hanging out. Bokuto practically lived at Akaashi's house. Kuroo had a permanent room in Kenma's.

But those were only _duos,_ only _select_ people that hung out with each other.

Karasuno, on the other hand, though certain groups _would_ hang out by themselves like Tsukishima and Yamaguchi or Nishonoya and Tanaka, had entire _team_ sleepovers without prompting _weekly._

That alone had created a friendly atmosphere between the players who hadn't known each other well and a certain bond between them that was relatively foreign to the other teams. It wasn't that their personalities match perfectly or they always got along well (Tsukishima's and Tanaka's little spats had been enough proof of that), but they'd spent so much _time_ together that it felt like they were brothers more than anything.

The friendship they had created with each other ran deep, and as such, that chemistry was demonstrated to the max on the court.

Hinata, however...was a slightly different story.

If any of the members of Karasuno were being honest with themselves, Hinata was probably the reason they'd all gotten so close and comfortable with each other in the first place. Their shared adoration of the kid was what had prompted all of them to have their first group sleepover in the first place, and while that should've been somewhat awkward since the first-years had been new to the school, Hinata's stupidly irresistible charm and charisma had had all of them talking and laughing within only a few hours.

Friendships had blossomed, bonds had been made, and the unbelievable fondness they'd all shared for Hinata had nearly tripled in size.

Unfortunately, being so close to one another tended to make the team rather...protective of their own, _especially_ the first-years and _especially_ their resident puppy-faced bundle of sparkles and happiness.

It was honestly ridiculous how overboard they took it sometimes, but something about Hinata's face was just so naive and _trusting_ that it was nearly impossible _not_ to feel some sort of possession or protectiveness over the young boy, especially after experiencing the way his face would positively _light up_ at the slightest bout of praise and the sparkles in his eyes whenever he did something right.

It was insane. Hinata was literally the oldest of the first-years, not even the youngest of the players, but he had been unofficially officially dubbed the ' _baby of the team'_ by _everyone, including_ Tsukishima, who _rarely_ revealed how deep his begrudging fondness for the younger really ran. He was a small, pocket-sized ball of sunshine with fluffy orange hair and smiles made out of happiness and warmth and all things good. It was impossible _not_ to baby him once in a while.

That being said, Hinata wasn't an _actual_ baby. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, as been demonstrated multiple times with his mother being out of the country or away on business more often than not and having to look after himself and his sister, but the spark of childlike innocence and unadulterated adorableness still radiated off his person. Whether he could take care of himself or not, the entirety of the Karasuno volleyball team (and the whole school, if they were honest) had become Hinata's unofficial 'guards' the moment they'd laid eyes on his dazzling smile and puppy eyes.

To sum it up: god help whatever pathetic excuse for a human being decides to do _anything_ to Hinata Shouyou and tries to get away with it.

xxx

1.

"That's it! Wrap it up, you two!" Daichi clapped his hands together, smile wide and eyes eager. "Good job today! You both look to be in excellent shape."

"Thank you!" Hinata waved from the other side of the gym, cheeks flushed and forehead beaded with sweat but smile as wide and genuine as ever. "Do you mind if Kageyama and I get going now? My mom's coming home tonight, and I haven't seen her in a week!" But of course, Hinata Shouyou was an angel on earth and the word selfish wasn't in his vocabulary. "But it's okay if you need up to clean up! We can if you need us too!"

"It's fine, Hinata. I need to stay a little late anyway. I'll pick everything up." Daichi waved the first year off with a soft smile, insides practically _gooey_ at the way his face lit up at the prospect of getting home a little earlier and how freaking _excited_ he seemed to get over the smallest of things. "You two can go."

"Thanks, Daichi." Unlike Hinata, Kageyama didn't seem to be too thrilled about the fact that they finally didn't have to clean the gym for once, which was kind of fair since they did it practically every other day, but it wasn't hard to see the way his eyes (begrudgingly) softened when Hinata started pulling on his sleeve and urging him to pack up their bags. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Hm." Daichi nodded in confirmation, purposely averting his eyes from Hinata's adorably happy face so he could actually get some goddamn _work_ done and not have to waste time trying to properly function against after getting a faceful of a Hinata smile. All of these months and he still had _no_ idea how Kageyama could even _stand_ properly when the ginger was constantly directing awed eyes and showering the setter with praises whenever he made a perfect toss. "I'll see you."

He watched silently as the two first years gathered up their things, the rest of the team having already filtered out an hour ago. He would've joined them if he could, love of volleyball aside, but all it had taken was _one_ sweet plea from their resident embodiment of sunshine and a quick flash of the puppy-eyes (he had no doubt it had been Kageyama's idea for Hinata to do the convincing; the boy didn't know his own power) to have him scrambling to set the nets back up and get out the volleyball carts.

Suga had stayed with the trio, both since he and Daichi walked home together and because he'd insisted he could teach Kageyama a few pointers about the trick set he was trying to learn (though all of them except for Hinata knew it was just an excuse to be able to see the ginger's heart-melting reaction whenever they did a quick right), and the four had been working together for the better part of an hour thirty.

Daichi had been going over the proper way to release off the ground in order to get more airtime with Hinata while Suga had been drilling different ways to analyze the court into Kageyama's head, and then they'd switched; Daichi had taught Kageyama how to spike better than he was used to (because brilliant setter or not, you never know if he might be able to get a kill once in a while) and Suga...he'd basically just fawned over Hinata for the entirety of practice. Understandable, but not very productive.

Suga smirked, getting up from his seat by the bleachers and sauntering over to Daichi. He slung an arm around his shoulder, eyes trained on the hyperactive ginger and annoyed raven-haired setter as well.

"You're so whipped."

Daichi rolled his eyes. "Like you're not?' He shoved Suga in the chest. The setter only smiled.

"You offered to clean the _gym_ for him? You haven't cleaned the gym since you were a first-year!"

The captain scoffed, glaring at his teammate out of the corner of his eye. The only thing he got in return was Suga's regular sickly-sweet smile. "Shut up. They show up earlier and stay later than anyone else. They're the primary reason we're doing so well this season. Isn't it only fair that I clean the gym for them just this once?"

Suga snorted. "That's bullshit."

"Fine. I noticed that Hinata was anxious to get home, and then he smiled at me while asking if he could leave. What the hell was I supposed to do? Say _no_?"

"Uh, yeah?" Suga flicked his cheek. Daichi grunted in annoyance. "You're the _captain._ It's you're job to tell your teammates what to do."

Daichi rolled his eyes and pushed Suga's hand off his shoulder. "Oh, that's rich coming from someone who _bought out the entire deserts section_ at Ukai's convenience store just because Hinata mentioned he had a sweet tooth _once_."

Suga just smiled, returning his arm to its rightful place on Daichi's shoulder as if nothing had happened. "Oh, I'm not talking about _me._ I'm a weak, weak man for my baby; that much is obvious. I just thought _you_ might be a little more impervious."

"Impervious? Since when is _anyone_ impervious to Hinata?"

"Fair point."

"Hey, guys?" The way the two third-years' heads snapped to attention at the sound of Hinata's voice would've been almost comical had they not been glaring at each other a moment before. "Have either of you seen my key to the gym? I know I brought it today, but it's not in my bag."

"Yeah." Kageyama walked to stand next to his spiker, jamming a thumb at him with unimpressed eyes. "We've already looked near all the bags. I found mine just fine, but he's just a forgetful dumbass."

" _Anyway,"_ Hinata glared at Kageyama. Kageyama shrugged and looked away, sticking his nose up into the air in a way that was a cross between arrogant and comical. "Have either of you seen it? I really, really need to find it. I'd feel awful if I lost something you trusted me with."

"I actually think I saw it by the bleachers." Daichi would've laughed at the sudden softness of Suga's voice if he wasn't too busy trying not to melt with fondness at Hinata's sincerity. He'd feel awful because he lost something they _trusted_ him with? God, this child was _precious._ "I saw it when I was sitting over there."

"Oh, thank you!" As if a switch had been flipped, Hinata's smile was back at full force. Daichi physically _staggered,_ Suga's arm around his shoulders the only thing holding him upright and vice versa, while Kageyama just rolled his eyes at the obviousness of the elder. They were so hopelessly soft for the spiker it was _pathetic_ sometimes (Kageyama actually wasn't any better, but he'd rather die than admit that Hinata's charm had the same effect on him as it did everyone else). "You're a lifesaver."

"Oh, no problem." Suga waved him off with a weak smile, ignoring the way Kageyam was so blatantly judging him. "Left side, I think. If it's not there, check under the bleachers. The key might've fallen through."

Hinata nodded, setting both his volleyball and school bags down on the floor next to Kageyama and walking away. The remaining three watched him go silently.

"I can't believe the dumbass lost his key," Kageyama grumbled, nudging Hinata's bags away from him with his toe. "I have _never_ lost my key. Not even once."

Daichi rolled his eyes, once again shoving Suga's arm off of his shoulders now that he didn't need him to support his weight anymore with the threat of Hinata's smiles gone. "Is this one of your competitions or something?"

Kageyama nodded firmly, no trace of sarcasm or joking in the gesture. "Duh. Do you think I'm just going to let him get away with losing his key and _not_ hold it over his head for the rest of his life? Not a chance." He grinned. Suga unconsciously shuddered at the sight. "This victory puts me up by a whole two points. That's the most we've ever been apart this entire year."

Daichi tsked, wrinkling his nose and registering the urge to rub his temples. "Seriously. We're a team. Not everything has to be a competi- _HOLY FUCK HINATA."_

Both Suga and Kageyma _whipped_ around at the cry, but Daichi was already moving. The captain _leaped_ forward, crossing the expanse of the gym in no more than five strides, and _yanked_ Hinata out of the way as swiftly as he could before the five metal crates, all of which had been teetering on the edge of the top bleacher for nearly all of practice, came crashing down on the _exact_ spot Hinata had been standing only moments ago.

Hinata didn't even have time to blink, let alone _get out of the way_ of the falling crates even with the help of his incredible reflexes before he was grabbed by one of Daichi's arms and shoved to the side and into the captain's chest.

Kageyama's eyes were impossibly wide, and his hands were over his mouth in an expression of pure _horror_ the setter had never worn before. Suga wasn't any better, both hands covering his heart and mouth dropped open as if in mid-scream.

The gym was silent, the only present sound being Daichi's heavy breathing.

"Holy _shit._ " Suga sprang into action first, bounding over to the duo with Kageyama close behind. He knelt down beside the two, pulling a seemingly shell-shocked Hinata out of Daichi's grasp and examining every inch of his freckled skin for any injuries, permanent or otherwise. "Hinata, holy _crap._ Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere? What the hell happened?"

"No." Hinata's voice was slow. He sounded like he was processing, which was _beyond_ fair considering he could've been seriously hurt, _or worse,_ if Daichi hadn't realized his predicament sooner. "I'm...fine. I think."

"Are you? Are you sure?" Suga pressed on. His breathing was erratic, eyes scanning the boy up and down for _any_ sign of injury on his precious underclassman. "Really? You're totally okay? The crates didn't knick you or anything?"

"I'm fine," Hinata said again, but he sounded more sure this time. He blinked, eyes slowly becoming less hazy and more hyperaware like they usually were. "Daichi pushed me out of the way just in time."

Suga hung his head, and Daichi could physically _see_ the tension release from his shoulders. "Thank _god._ Christ, you nearly gave me a _heart attack._ I don't think I've ever been so scared in my _life."_

"Yeah..." Daichi breathed. He himself hadn't entirely processed the situation yet. He'd just seen Hinata in danger, and he'd...reacted. It had been instinct, pretty much. He didn't think his reflexes had ever been that fast, well, _ever._ "That could've turned out _really_ bad."

"No fucking kidding," Kageyama muttered under his breath, but Daichi didn't say anything. For as emotionally constipated as the setter was, anyone seeing their best friend almost get crushed to death was _bound_ to bubble some emotions to the surface. If Kageyama's eyes seemed slightly glossy in that moment, neither of the upperclassmen said anything about it. "I...Jesus. That was a _close_ call."

"No kidding," Suga murmured, still refusing to make eye contact. "Why did they even put those stupid crates up there in the first place? They very well may have _killed_ Hinata if Daichi hadn't gotten there fast enough!"

Kageyama frowned and nodded along, furrowing his brow as he took in the sight of a wide-eyed Hinata and the five metal crates piled in a heap at the bottom of the pull-out bleachers. "No kidding. They didn't even have anything in them! They were just on the edge for no freaking reason!"

"Agreed!" Suga's anger level was rising along with his volume. "I won't' stand for this! That was a _serious_ safety hazard! Anyone who thinks I'm just going to let Hinata almost getting freaking _killed_ slide is _very_ sorely mistaken!"

Needless to say, after both Suga and Kageyama had complained to the principal and told them that it was everyone's precious _Hinata Shouyou_ who'd almost gotten crushed by the carelessly placed crates, that problem had been fixed _real_ quick.

xxx

2.

"Thanks a lot for this, guys." Hinata grinned up at the two second-years, both of whom were smooshed on either side of him as the three all tried to fit side by side on the same sidewalk. "I haven't had ice cream in _forever._ My mom always says it's too unhealthy, so she never buys it, and I never have the money to."

Nishinoya grinned in response, ruffling Hinata's hair and shooting Tanaka a _look_ over his head. "No problemo, Shou! It's our treat."

Hinata just nodded in response, licking his ice cream dutifully as the other two looked at him with ridiculously fond eyes. "You guys are amazing. You really didn't have to pay for me. I can always find a way to pay you back at school tomorrow or-"

"Nu-uh." Tanaka cut him off with a sniff and a disproving finger wiggle. " _We're_ your upperclassmen. It's our _job_ to treat our underclassmen, you hear me, shrimpy?" He took a bite of his own ice cream, cringing as the food froze the back of his teeth but not letting it show on his face. What kind of man couldn't bite ice cream with his teeth? "And you're basically the only first-year that we can stand on a daily basis, so congratulations! You're officially our favorite underclassman!"

"Tsukishima's just plain rude," Nishinoya added, taking Tanaka's statement and rolling with it. "And he's annoying. And he's just salty in general. He's way too freakin' tall, which just freaks me out, man. Kageyama's just temperamental, but I'm fine with him. He's only tolerable when he's around you," He pointed at Hinata. "So I like him, but I only _enjoy_ his company when he's with you. And Yamaguchi's a great dude, but he's just too _shy_ to be a contender, y'know?"

Hinata shrugged, swallowing the ice cream he'd let melt in his mouth. "I dunno. You just need to get to know Yama more. He's really not that quiet of a guy."

"Of course you'd know," Tanaka interjected, unable to resist the urge to muss up Hinata's hair when he looked up at him with big, curious brown eyes. "You know everybody. You've got the entire school district wrapped around you're finger."

Hinata laughed, and Tanaka _glowed_ with the knowledge that it was directed at _him_ and something _he'd_ said. "This is why I like you, Tanaka! You're so nice! And cool!"

"What about me?" As always, Nishinoya jumped at the chance to be praised by his precious Shouyou. "Am I nice and cool and awesome?"

Hinata nodded enthusiastically, seemingly not noticing the glare Tanaka sent his fellow second-year over his head. Nishinoya stuck his tongue out in response before turning back to Hinata, plastering on the _biggest_ smile he could and slinging an arm around the younger's shoulder. "Of course! You're _so_ cool, and your receives are _amazing._ I couldn't play even half as good as you if I were a libero! You're one of the best!"

"You hear that?" Nishinoya used the one hand around Hinata's shoulder to tug him away from Tanaka and the other to poke at his friend's shoulder. "Hinata says I'm the _best,_ which directly translates to _I'm his favorite upperclassman_."

"How does that trans-"

"Nope!" Nishinoya turned his head away from Tanaka, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. "Just accept it and move on, Tanaka. I have won over Shouyou's undying affection, and there's no chance you're going to steal it away from me."

Hinata laughed. It was hearty and airy and just so damn _warm_ that it was all it took to have both of his upperclassmen's heads snapping toward him. "You're funny, Nishi, and thanks for buying me ice cream, but I like you and Tanaka equally! You guys are both awesome!"

"But you like me a little more, right?" The spiker pressed, seeing an opportunity and pouncing on it because Nishinoya could get the jump on him. "I mean, us spikers have got to stick together. And Noya's freakin' _small._ "

"Hey, you bastard!" Nishinoys slapped Tanaka's hand away from where it was coming to rest on Hinata's shoulder. "What the hell does my height have to do with any of this, you ass!? I'm Shou's favorite regardless of your freakishly long string bean legs."

" _String bean?! Excuse_ you, I could crush _watermelons_ with these thighs-"

He was cut off mid-sentence by a resounding _pop_ echoing down the street.

Nishinoya reacted without processing, using the arms still around Hinata's shoulders to pull him down and _jumping_ on top of him, tackling the shorty to the ground and squeezing himself over his underclassman. He vaguely recognized Tanaka beside him doing the same, diving for the concrete with vigor he hadn't possessed only moments before. Nishinoys screwed his eyes shut, letting his head fall onto the concrete and using his arms to shield Hinata's own.

They laid there, sprawled out on the concrete with Nishinoya's body draped over Hinata's and Tanaka cautiously looking around for any signs of anything or anyone who looked like they might have even a little malicious intent.

He found no one. The street was deserted, and the only shop in the entire vicinity was a small party store about twenty feet away from where they were lying on the corner of the road, that of which just so happened to have the remnants of a popped purple balloon being carried by the wind and slowly settling down onto the ground.

Tanaka groaned. "You _idiot._ " He hopped upright in one smooth motion, reaching under his fellow second-year to pull Hinata up from under his body and to his feet, forgoing helping his libero completely. "That was a _balloon_ popping, you dumbass. You scared the crap out of me for nothing!"

"What?" Nishinoya peeked one eye open, seemingly noticing right then that they were alone on the deserted street for the first time. He looked down, not having even noticed that Hinata wasn't shielded underneath him anymore, before looking up at Tanaka with wide, sheepish eyes. "A balloon?"

"Yeah, you moron." Tanaka rolled his eyes, pointing to the party store down the street. "One of the balloons out on the freakin' display popped."

"Hey." Nishinoya glared at his friend, hopping back up and onto his feet in one swift motion and jabbing his finger into Tanaka's chest. "If I recall correctly, _you_ dived down to the floor also, Mr. Know-It-All."

"Uh, yeah, because when you dived down, I thought we were getting freaking _shot at._ " His lips quirked, seemingly amused by the situation now that they were out of 'imminent' danger. "Why the hell is your first reaction to duck down when you hear a loud noise anyway? You been hanging out with gangs without me or something?"

"I have _not-"_

" _Woah._ " Hinata's awe-filled voice shut both of them up _real_ quick. He wasn't even bouncing up and down on his feet like he usually did whenever he was excited about something, though, in retrospect, there was really nothing to be excited about in that situation. All three of their respective ice creams had become nothing but colorful splatters on the side of the road, and the sudden weight of Nishinoya on his back had probably given him a bruise or two, but he was staring at the libero as if he'd bought him a _country_ or something. "You thought we were getting _shot_ at?"

"Uh, yeah." All of a sudden, Nishinoya's sheepishness was back at full force. He rubbed the back of his head, smiling dumbly and avoiding eye contact with their resident ginger. Great, now he'd embarrassed himself and overreacted in front of his underclassman. What would that do for his perception of him? Would Hinata still think of him as _cool_ after that embarrassing display of paranoia-

"That was _awesome._ "

What.

Hinata's arms were around Nishinoya before he could process, brain too stunned and _encompassed_ by the warmth of Hinata's embrace to do anything other than hug him back. He wasn't even coherent enough to send Tanaka something as little as a smug glance over his _shoulder,_ for gods sakes. He should be milking this for all it was worth, _gloating_ to his classmate that _he_ was getting a hug from their precious Hinata and not _him,_ but he was too freakin' _confused_ and on the verge of _melting_ to do anything of the sort.

"That was so cool, Nishinoya!" Hinata pulled back, much too soon for Nishinoya's liking, but the sight of Hinata's face absolutely _flushed_ with adoration and happiness made it _very_ hard to complain. "You thought we were getting shot at, and your first instinct was to protect _me!_ That's so brave! You're _amazing!_ I could _never_ do something like that. You should get a medal of honor or something, maybe like the noble peace prize-"

"Wait, _that's_ what you were trying to do?" Under normal circumstances, Tanaka would never even _dream_ of cutting off his precious underclassman mid-sentence like that, but seriously. If any time called for it, it was now. "You dove down to protect...Hinata...dude, that's _hella_ manly." A slow grin spread across his face. "Noya, you're a freakin' badass! Dude! You're, like, at the top of the food chain!"

Nishinoya rolled his eyes, sheepish smile back at full force but for a different reason than before. Whatever previous hesitance or shyness he'd had only moments before seemed to have been shaken off at Hinata's ongoing barrage of praises. "Uh, _duh._ Didn't you know, Tanaka? I'm the top dog _and_ the best upperclassman there ever was. So _ha."_

Tanaka blinked. "I have the sudden urge to worship the ground you walk on."

"You should. Maybe you could absorb some of my awesomeness."

"You're _amazing,_ Nishinoya!" Oh. Right. Hinata was still gushing over his very existence, and the libero was still directly in the line of fire of his killer smiles and sparkly eyes. Crap. "That was seriously so brave of you, even if it was only a balloon."

Nishinoya shrugged, trying and failing to contain the elated grin coming to the surface at Hinata's words while simultaneously trying to avoid direct eye contact with the ginger in order to keep his brain properly functioning. If there was one thing he'd learned over all the months of knowing Hinata, it was never to look directly into his smile unless you wanted to be frozen at the sheer adorableness of it for the next thirty minutes.

"Of course, Shou. You can always rely on your favorite upperclassman to protect you."

"You're _so_ cool!" Hinata cried one more time, bouncing up and down on the ball of his feet. The kid really did have too much energy for his own good, but if he was using it to shower Nishinoya with praises and undeniable affection, then he definitely wasn't going to complain. "Seriously!"

"Hm." Nishinoya put a hand over his heart in a futile attempt to keep it from exploding out of his chest. "Why're you so precious?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

xxx

3.

So, here was the thing.

Hinata was cute. _Really_ cute. He was like a fusion between a fluffy orange tabby kitten and a puppy. His eyes were always wide and sparkly, his features were delicate and soft, and frankly, it was pretty apparent that he didn't have a mean bone in his body. His curls were always flopping hopelessly in his face, freckles were sprinkled across his skin in intricate patterns, and his goddamn _smile_ could probably be classified in the same category of danger as a nuclear weapon. He was practically the _poster boy_ for innocence.

To make matters worse (or better, technically), Hinata wasn't just an _average_ nice highschooler. He was practically an _angel,_ always willing to give out affection and praise like candy to anyone he saw fit. He would _gush_ over the simplest of things, from how tall a person was to how smart, and he just had this childlike sense of wonder and amazement about anything ranging from volleyball to cooking.

Hinata didn't even _try_ to be likable, nor did he try to even make friends in the first place. He was a natural extrovert, a born entertainer, a genuine people pleaser, and as such, _everyone_ was gravitated toward him and was eventually sucked into his inescapable web of friendship whether they like it or not.

He was an optimist, always looking for the best in people, but he was _funny_ and had such _pinchable_ cheeks as well. He was probably the nicest guy in all of Japan and would most likely win some kind of award for it in the future, but he was also _comforting_ and seemingly wise beyond his years despite his apparent innocence and naivety.

Did Hinata have everyone at Karasuno, students and teachers alike, wrapped around his tiny little finger? Yes, absolutely. It was impossible not to fall in love with his enthusiastic smiles and the way compliments would practically rain from his mouth whenever someone did anything even remotely impressive. He didn't care about being popular. He didn't care about being well-liked by everyone. Hell, he didn't even _know_ how absolutely enamored basically their entire district was with him. He didn't _try_ to be the most charismatic and charming guy in the whole school. He just _was,_ his genuine compassion, drive to always work harder, contagious smiles, and _adorable_ face combining to make basically _the_ perfect human being.

It was obvious. _Everyone_ liked Hinata Shouyou, and even those who'd tried not to (whether it be out of spite or just because they were petty) had taken one look at those sparkly, eager eyes and received one, _one,_ simple word of praise from him, and fallen hook line and sinker. Really, it was all it took.

Despite his undoubtedly amazing personality and golden heart, one of the other reasons people had warmed up to Hinata so quickly without properly getting to know him first (though when they did, they only feel even more in love with the boy) was because he was easy on the eyes. He had pale skin, fluffy orange hair, freckles dotting his cheeks and nose, and big brown puppy eyes. That alone was enough to make more than a few girls' (and boys') interests pique.

So, Hinata was cute. Adorable, really, and pretty much everyone readily accepted the fact. The problem was...not everyone had the same reaction when it came to such precious things.

Most people wanted to take care of cute things, tried to love them and pamper them to their heart's content _just_ because their cheeks were so squishable and physique so adorable. Other...certain people...physically couldn't handle the amount of cuteness in a person or thing, whether it be because of some past experience or simply because they were jealous.

Unfortunately for Hinata, he was downright enchanting. And that...caused a little bit of trouble sometimes.

Like now, for instance.

Tsukishia honestly didn't know how he'd ended up walking home with Hinata instead of Yamaguchi. Kageyama had been home sick with the flu or something (hell if he cared. Kageyama could transfer schools, and he wouldn't give a damn) and Yamaguchi had forgotten his bookbag in the English classroom, leaving Hinata and Tsukishima to clean up, and by default, walk home together.

"I should talk to you more." Hinata mused out loud. He'd been doing this thing where he was basically bouncing on his feet as he walked, and Tsukki couldn't decide if he found it annoying or begrudgingly adorable. "Like, I know you're kind of stingy, and you and Kageyama can't stand each other, but me and Kageyama also can't stand each other, so we have that in common, you know?"

"Aren't you guys best friends?" Tsukishima asked monotonously, keeping his head straight and eyes flat.

"Yeah." Tsukki didn't have to look at Hinata to know he was nodding vigorously in the eager way he always did. "But we also can't stand each other. Our dynamic works like that, you know?"

"That makes no sense."

Hinata shrugged. "I just think we should get to know each other more! Me and Yamaguchi are really good friends, and you're really good friends with Yamaguchi, so doesn't that technically make us closer already?"

"That logic makes even less sense."

Hinata just hummed. If he was at all deterred by Tsukishima's stinginess, he didn't show it. "I guess so. All the upperclassmen are always telling me to stay away from you anyway because you might 'contaminate' me or something."

Tsukishima snorted before he could stop himself, quickly slipping his mask of passiveness back into place before Hinata could get a look at his face. "Wow. What a valid concern. It's not like we're in the same year or anything and I'm around you all the time."

Hinata shrugged. "That's what I told them."

The two lapsed into silence, Hinata wheeling his bike beside him and Tsukishima with his hands casually stuffed in his pockets and strolling along.

It wasn't until someone bumped into Hinata did he look up from the pavement.

It was dark out, obviously, considering their practice ended at ridiculous-o'clock at night, so neither participants of the duo saw the person coming until he inadvertently shoved his elbow into the handlebar of Hinata's bike, enough force behind it to make it wobble a little but not enough to send it full-on toppling over. Tsukishima looked up at the sudden sound of bone on metal, eyes bored and uninterested as usual.

"Whoops." The student called over his shoulder. He was a third-year, judging on his height. "Sorry, _shorty_."

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes, slipping his headphones off his ears until they rested on his neck and stopped the music blasting from them. He didn't like the way the guy had uttered that nickname. There was none of the usual fondness or endearment behind it like there was whenever one of the other volleyball players or students used it.

"It's okay!" Hinata called back, either not noticing or not caring about the man's clearly insincere apology. "You didn't knock anything over. I'm all good."

The man sniffed, the sound clearly audible even from where he was positioned five feet behind the duo. "Glad to hear it, _shrimpy._ "

Okay. If there was a line as to how much Hinata slander Tsukishima could take while just sitting idly by watching, that nameless student had just fucking _catapulted_ across it.

"Excuse you." Tsukishima's tone was cold. Calculation. Words clearly underlined with the intent to _hurt._ "Watch where you're going, moron. Or is your tiny little brain too stupid to comprehend the fact that there are _other people besides you on this sidewalk?"_

The student blinked, clearly taken aback."What?"

"You heard me. What the hell are you doing walking back to school so late anyway? Need to steal the homework answers because you're too stupid to actually pass your classes on your own? It makes sense. What are you, forty? This your twentieth time repeating third-year? I bet it is. With those wrinkles, I wouldn't be surprised."

"You little-"

"And _another_ thing." Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, eyes bored and unimpressed as he took in the student's scruffy appearance. "How pathetic do you have to be to be jealous of a _first-year?_ Yeah, that's right." Tsukishima smiled to himself. Judging on the way the man's face suddenly hardened, he'd hit the nail right on the head. "You're not so slick. I bet your insufferable, apparently blind ass doesn't have anyone to hang around with, huh? Not like Hinata here, who has friends by the dozen and about five new girls and boys fawning over him each week. I bet you'd like to know what that feels like, wouldn'tcha?"

"You fucking-"

"You don't even realize how grossly your jealousy's showing, do you? You probably think you're _so_ clever making comments about Hinata's height. Well, guess what? Those are my insults, you absolute moron. You're not original. You're not creative. Grow the hell up. Picking on a first-year just because they have infinitely more friends than you'll ever have? That's low, stupid, and honestly really sad." He turned around with a flick of his heel, pulling Hinata to do the same so both of their backs were to the man. "This was just an appetizer." He called over his shoulder, pulling the ginger along with him as he began walking away. "You comment or come near him again, I mess your mind up so bad you won't be able to hold back your pathetic little cry-baby tears. Sound good?" He didn't give him a chance to reply. "Good."

Faintly, Tsukishima heard the third-year start forward, stop, scoff to himself, and turn away.

"Well." He released his grip on Hinata's shoulder, dusting off his hands and slipping his headphones back into their rightful place on his head. "That improved my night significantly."

Hinata just stared at him. "You're kinda awesome."

"Obviously."

xxx

+1.

"This is so stupid."

"It's _necessary._ " Suga glared at Kageyama out of the corner of his eye, daring him to say anymore. The younger pursed his lips, wisely averting his eyes and letting out a disbelieving scoff to compensate. "The kid has a knack for trouble, and he's too freaking _trusting_ for his own good. He's going to get kidnapped one of these days, I swear to you."

"It probably wouldn't matter anyway," Kageyama murmured, laying back onto the gym floor and propping himself up with his elbows. "He'd just befriend his kidnappers and get _them_ to pay _him_ the hostage money instead or something."

"That's...actually highly plausible." Daichi mused from beside him. He was the one who'd actively called this meeting to action on Suga's behalf, and thus, was the one who'd inadvertently caused all this chaos in the first place. "I could totally see that happening."

"Same."

"Same."

"Same."

"I'd actually be surprised if something like that hasn't happened already."

"Where is Hinata anyway?" Yamaguchi, like Kageyama, had been sitting relatively quietly through Suga's in-depth explanation about why they needed a ' _Hinata Protection Squad'_ (it was a miracle they'd won any volleyball games with the amount of dumbassery in this gym right now, not to mention their collective three brain cells) but hadn't at all showed any opposition to it. The first-years were kind of on the fence about the whole thing because while it was true that even _their_ protective instinct went into overdrive when it came to the ginger for whatever inexplicable reason, that didn't mean they had to dedicate an entire _organization_ to the cause. "He's never late."

"Except for when we found him bleeding out on the side of the road," Tanaka muttered quietly, fiddling absentmindedly with his fingers.

" _Exactly._ " Suga ignored Yamaguchi completely, eager to jump onto Tanaka's statement and ride with it. " _That_ is why we need a Hinata Protection Squad. He gets into too much trouble for his own good, and that trusting attitude and puppy-eyes only heightens the chances of him being kidnapped and taken to Peru or something."

Kageyama held his hands up in defense, fighting the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it would get him another extra lap around the gym if he did so. "Hey, I didn't say I didn't think we _needed_ a Hinata Protection Squad. He's a dumbass. I'm honestly surprised he's survived this long. I just think it's stupid."

Suga blinked. "That makes no sense."

"He's just so _precious,_ " Nishinoya said from the side, building off of Kageyama's statement. "He _must_ be protected at all costs. His eyes? Ohmygod, have you heard his _laugh?!_ He's like a freakin' _baby._ I would _die_ for him."

Tsukishima groaned, burying his head in his hands. "This conversation _cannot_ be real."

Nishinoya snorted. "You're seriously gonna tell me that you don't agree with every single thing I just said." Tsukishima stayed silent, merely grumbling something incoherent that sounded suspiciously like a swear word and turning his head to the side. "That's what I thought. We need this squad to _protect_ that smile and innocence."

"Agreed." Tanaka raised his hand. "As Hinata's favorite upperclassman and the one he loves the most, I think I should be president."

"What? You fucking kidding me, Tanaka?" Suga shot him down immediately, swatting his hand to the ground with a glare. "He's _my_ baby, and _I_ came up with this. I'm clearly the best fit to be the president."

"Uh, actually-"

"Seriously," Yamaguchi interjected. He'd been scanning the entirety of the gym for the duration of the conversation, but yet no head of orange hair had caught his eye. "Where is Hinata. Like, actually."

"Oh." Suga waved him off once again, shooting a small smile in his direction. "He's with Kiyoko and Yachi. They're watching videos of Shiratorizawa in the lockerroom as we speak. I'm pretty sure he's so engrossed that he doesn't even know we're not there."

Nishinoya sighed. "He's so precious."

"Yeah."

"Agreed."

"It's kind of a given."

"So!" Suga slapped his hands on the hardwood floor, making the rest of them jump in their seat. "I now call the first official meeting of the Hinata Protection Squad to order."

Were Hinata's teammates a tad bit overprotective? Yeah. Without a doubt.

Was he loved to the ends of the earth by all of them, whether they chose to admit it or not? Abso-fucking-lutely.

Did Daichi have 'Hinata Protection Squad' badges made and ordered for the entire team? Yep.

Did over half of the team keep their badges in their wallets and the other half in their volleyball bags? You bet your ass they did.

No one messed with their middle blocker and got away with it, and anyone who wanted to do so would have to pry those badges from their cold, dead hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!! i'm honestly so sorry for taking so long. I'll try to be better when it comes to upload schedules and things, I swear to you. I'm also not totally happy with this chapter, but I just NEEDED to get some content out for you guys so here's this ;) I promise the next chapter will be much higher quality and longer for y'all!!
> 
> anyway, I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! Thank you for being so freaking patient with me and giving this story over 3900 KUDOS, LIKE WHAT??!?!? I didn't even think my wiring was worth 100 kudos when I started, but you all have given me the motivation to improve so much.
> 
> THANK YOU!! I LOVE YOU ALL AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!


	22. Swaddle the Sleeping Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay so this chapter is basically just 
> 
> Hinata: *falls asleep*
> 
> Shiratorizawa: ALKSDFLJASKLFHJKLSDJFASLDFHJ

"I'm here!"

"Hinata!" Semi waved enthusiastically from Ushijima's front porch, regarding the ginger with bright, crinkled eyes as he wheeled his bike next to a surrounding tree and locked it to it. When Hinata had originally told them that he'd be riding all the way from his house way up on the mountain to Ushijima's, everyone had been more than a little wary of the prospect (the biking incident from a few months ago had basically scarred them for life) but here he was, flushed, sweaty, and smiling. "I'm glad you could make it!"

"So am I!" Hinata called back, pushing a few curls away from his forehead with the back of his hand. "I almost wasn't sure I was going to be able to come! I had to make dinner for my little sister and tuck her into bed right before this, so I almost wasn't able to make it until dark!"

Semi didn't even know why he was surprised anymore. This kid could've told him he'd been late because he'd stopped on the way to cure every single disease known to mankind, and he would've believed him.

"Isn't he precious?" Shirabu cooed from beside him. He'd also (definitely coincidentally, not because he had been specifically waiting for Hinata or anything) accompanied Semi to the porch and had been sitting by his side relatively quietly for the duration of their stay. "This kid's a fucking angel, I swear. Look, he even has a halo above his head."

"That's the sun reflecting off his curls, you dumbass."

"Ughh, I _know._ Don't they look so soft and fluffy today?"

Semi snorted. "Dude, what are you. Gay?"

Shirabu made a face. "Are you telling me you _don't_ want to touch his hair? Cause that's fine if you don't, I mean I'll gladly take your spot-"

Semi kneed him in the stomach, _hard,_ before turning back to Hinata and smiling his most sickly sweet smile, eyes softening immeasurably when the ginger returned it with ease. Shirabu, on the other hand, doubled over with a grunt, whether it be from the force of Semi's kick or the sheer radiance of Hinata's grin.

"I'm really glad to see you guys!" He continued. He put one hand on his bike and pushed it a little to make sure it was safe and securely chained to the tree, smiling when it didn't budge and crossing the expanse of the front yard to reach his upperclassmen. "It's like I haven't spent time with any of you in _forever._ We never have games or practice matches with you anymore, and whenever I ask if we can hang out, you guys are always so _busy."_

Actually, when Hinata had texted on their collective Shiratorizawa-plus-Hinata group chat asking if they wanted to come over for the afternoon a few weeks before, which had just so happened to be when they were out of the district for a training camp, Tendou had tried to hotwire a car with Ushijima and Goshiki to drive all the way back to Miyagi. It hadn't worked, obviously, because Tendou was Tendou, and he'd nearly blown the entire campus up.

They'd had to run fifteen extra laps because of it, but that didn't stop everyone else from trying the exact same thing a few hours later after dinner when their coach was asleep.

Again, it didn't work, but after being deprived of all the sweet, sugary goodness that was Hinata's entire being, could anyone really blame them?

Plus, Goshiki had nearly had a panic attack when Hinata had texted them saying it was _'alright, we can always hang out next time!'_ and _'don't worry about it. have a great time at camp!'_ with about four separate heart emojis because the thought of making the little ginger sad was borderline _traumatizing._

So, basically, this was the makeup sleepover, which meant that every single player was going to adore the absolute _fuck_ out of Hinata the entire time after not being able to spare any time to hang out with him for what, a month? Two months? Two months and a half? Whatever it was, it was too damn long to go without his energized smiles and adorably hyperactive energy.

Ushijima himself had been particularly excited about this event. He'd even smiled, _smiled,_ earlier that day when Tendou was gushing about seeing the Karasuno middle blocker again. _Smiled._

So yeah, if it had gotten to the point where the captain of Shiratorizawa actually started to show his _emotions_ when the subject of Hinata came up, then they'd definitely gone _way_ too long without seeing him.

Shirabu cleared his throat, forcing himself and stand back up to his full height and make eye contact. "Yeah, we're sorry about that. We had another training camp, and our coach _refused_ to let us leave early."

"Oh yeah, it's okay! Don't worry about it." Hinata cocked his head to the side in an almost puppy-like manner, rosy cheeks and freckles on full display as he did so. Shirabu choked. Semi had to snake an arm around his shoulders to keep him from melting into a pile of goop (and also keep himself upright as well because who the _fuck_ gave this kid the right to be so obviously adorable Jesus _Christ,_ he was going to have diabetes by the time this sleepover ended, but Shirabu didn't need to know that.) "But like...did you guys try to sneak out or something? I heard Daichi talking about it, and he threatened to make us all run thirty suicides if we ever tried something like that."

Semi blinked. "Oh. Uh-"

"Hinata Shouyou!" Thank god for Tendou's perfectly imperfectly perfect timing. The front door to the house slammed to the side as the blocker came barreling out of it and towards the ginger. He barely had time to brace himself before he was scooped up into a gangly embrace and twirled around in a way that could only be described as giddy. "I haven't seen you in _forever,_ shorty pants! How have you been? You look better than the last time I saw you, that's for sure."

Hinata laughed a _beautiful_ sparkly sound (yes, they used sparkly to describe a laugher. Deal with it. It's Hinata Shouyou.) and returned Tendou's hug with vigor. "Last time you saw me, I was in a hospital bed after running face-first into a brick wall."

"Details, details." Tendou sniffled. He unlatched his arms and plopped Hinata back onto the ground as one might a baby kitten, putting a hand in his hair and ruffling the curls ( "Lucky bastard." "Shut up, Shirabu.") until they were a mess of soft fluff and ginger strands. "I think you've gotten shorter."

"Wha- _I did no-"_

" _Anyway._ " Semi sidled between the two, slinging an arm around Hinata and internally cheering when the middle blocker side-hugged him back. "Lot's of people have been dying to see you, so we should probably get inside." He paused for a moment. "Have you had dinner yet?"

Hinata nodded vigorously, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, whatever annoyance he'd held for however brief at Tendou's comment disappearing into thin air. "Yup! I made some miso soup and tempura for my sister and me earlier." He blinked owlishly, eyes as wide and curious as ever. "But if you had something planned, I'm always hungry."

"You can _cook?_ " Shirabu ignored his last statement entirely. "Like, you can _cook_ cook?"

"Yeah!" Hinata abandoned Semi to bound over to Shirabu's side. The setter, unable to resist himself, poked the massive ball of fluff and curls that was the spiker's hair. Either the ginger didn't care or didn't notice because he kept on rambling. "My mom goes on a lot of trips for work and stuff, so she's not home a lot. She's a single mom, you know? She does it to take care of us. I taught myself how to make dishes for me and my sister so she could have a break and not have to stress about leaving us just enough money for takeout whenever she was on trips!"

Of course. Of fucking course Hinata Shouyou would learn how to cook to make things easier on his working _mother._ Was there ever _not_ a precious reason to why he did absolutely _everything_ in his life?"

"Oh, that's so cool, shrimpy!" Tendou, once again, snatched Hinata away, leading him towards the front door as he did so. "Maybe you could show me sometime. You know, cook me a three-course meal completed with desert and only the finest of fruit and the blood of my enemies..." His voice trailed off as the duo entered the house, the sound of the door closing cutting off his mindless, senseless ramblings from Semi and Shirabu.

"What the fuck is he even saying."

Shirabu shrugged. "Hell if I know." He beckoned over his shoulder. "C'mon. It's freaking cold out here."

xxx

Tendou threw open the doors to the living room, ushering the ginger inside and holding it slightly open so Semi and Shirabu could slide in as well before closing it behind him. He cleared his throat, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"I brought the shorty!"

The reaction was instantaneous.

It was almost comical how fast everyone's head whipped around, especially considering a good half of them had been playing a video game and they'd nearly thrown their controllers against the wall in the process.

Immediately, the ginger was crowded by a bunch of six-foot-something volleyball players with scary strong muscles, which would've been borderline scary for any lesser man, but this was Hinata, and Hinata absolutely _basked_ in any attention he could get. It was always interesting to see the prominent extrovert in the middle blocker at work, and it was even more interesting to slowly watch the energy of everyone else burn out over the numerous hours of playing around while Hinata's stayed constantly hyperactive and talkative.

That wasn't to say that all of the players wouldn't try their absolute best to stay up as late as possible, though. They were all in far too deep and had been stuck in the inescapable trap known as Hinata's friendship for far too long to deny him of _anything._

"I'm glad you could make it, Hinata," Ushijima said solemnly after all the commotion had died down. "Have you reconsidered my offer about joining Shiratorizawa?"

Gosiki choked on his Fanta.

Hinata, however, just laughed (which made Yamagata fall over with a gasp, but that was beside the point) and regarded the captain with smiling eyes. "Yeah, no, I'm okay at Karasuno. Thanks for the offer, though."

Ushijima just pursed his lips. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I think Kageyama might murder me if I went."

"If we dispose of Kageyama, then will you think about joining?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Ushijima smiled, _smiled,_ and patted Hinata's head, almost like one might a kitten or a puppy. Only the freakish powers of Hinata Shouyou could make the scariest ace in all of Japan _soft._ "I'm glad you're here, Hinata. It's been quite a while since we've seen you last."

"I know!" Hinata nodded, promptly hopping over the back of the couch and landing next to a positively _delighted_ and undeniably _smug_ Akakura. He turned to the libero momentarily. "Was anyone sitting here?" Akakura shook his head no because even if there had been, there was _no_ way he was forfeiting this spot now. "Okay, good." Hinata turned back to Ushijima and shot him his most _brilliant_ smile. "I feel like it's been forever. The last time I saw most of you was when I was in that hospital bed a few months ago. Ever since then, it's just been volleyball and volleyball and training camps and games and stuff. I didn't really mind because volleyball is pretty much the best sport in all of existence, but I still missed you guys."

The sheer _earnesty_ in his eyes and truthfulness in his words was _more_ than enough to have all the players practically tripping over themselves to grab the other seat next to Hinata on the soft, all blubbering apologizes and stumbling over their words as they tried to communicate to him just how _much_ they'd missed him over the past two or two and a half months. It was immeasurable, honestly, because the ginger had become such a regular part of their social lives that they'd nearly suffered withdrawal symptoms after not seeing his addicting smiles or experiencing his undeniable sweetness for so long, but they couldn't exactly _communicate_ that without letting Hinata know precisely _how_ powerful he was to have the entirety of the volleyball league wrapped around compromise the unspoken agreement throughout all the schools that they wouldn't tell him (it was a miracle he wasn't already aware of how goddamn adorably lovable or how fucking high his charisma was) or else he might use his power to take over the world or something.

That wasn't to say that he wouldn't be a good world leader. In all honesty, he could probably achieve world peace within a few weeks of his term and solve global hunger and pollution or something like that. It was just like this particular volleyball league didn't like sharing, and not being able to see the ginger for months on end because of something like that sounded absolutely _appalling._

None of them even tried to deny how whipped they were anymore. They just accepted whatever heart attack came with Hinata's smiles and moved on with their daily lives. No use fretting over how a small first-year could make their hearts constrict in such a way when said first-year was basically made up of sparkly kittens and energetic puppies rolled into one with rainbows sprinkled on top.

After everyone had stopped fawning over him, which had taken a good five minutes at the very least, the sleepover was deemed officially ago.

The first act of business was to get dinner with the money Ushijima's parents had left behind. They were out on some trip or holiday or something or other, so that left him in charge of the house _and_ the small amount of cash he'd been given.

They'd ended up ordering food from some Thai place around the corner after Hinata had told them he'd already had dinner (they'd all wanted him to choose, if only for the fact that he'd burst into a storm of compliments and praises about how nice they were). It had delivered relatively fast, but they were twelve nearly full-grown high school boys, and unsurprisingly, the amount of food they were able to get with the amount of money Ushijima's parents had left wasn't nearly enough to fill all of them up.

So, Hinata had decided he'd cook.

Everyone suffered at least three heart attacks at the fact because the already perfect Hinata Shouyou could _cook?_ What the hell was his mom _feeding_ this kid?

Plus, watching the ginger move from pan to pan with his hair tied back and out of his eyes in a messy, fluffy bun and some weird multicolored apron he'd found was _not_ good for their health, nor the cavities that they were developing from even _looking_ at this kid and drinking up all the sugary goodness they could get.

By the time Hinata had presented them with twenty Japanese rice balls, a whole pot full of udon noodles, and about three plates worth of fried rice, they were all putty in his hands.

The small speckles of flour decorating his cheeks didn't help either as he bounded around the table, joyfully setting out the dishes and eagerly awaiting their response.

Even if the food hadn't been fucking delicious (which it was because of _course_ it was, it was Hinata) with the ginger's eyes looking so shiny and excitedly acquisitive that they didn't even think they could let him down if they tried.

After they had licked the plates clean, polished off the last of the fried rice, and cleared the table (which they had refused to let Hinata help with the last bit because this boy had cooked them a goddamn _feast_ for god's sake, and didn't need to be cleaning up their mess), the mass of volleyball players had moved to the living room.

The next three or so hours basically consisted of everyone fawning over Hinata and fighting amongst themselves for his attention because they saw each other every _day,_ but getting to spent time with their favorite resident ginger was becoming sort of a rare experience. Hinata, of course, didn't mind being passed from one player to another, merely happy to be in his friends' presence after such a long time.

The system went as follows: one person would hang around Hinata wherever he was in the living room, and as always, make effortless conversation with the natural extrovert and play around until they were both red in the face from laughing so hard while the others played video games or crowded around to take part in the fun as much as they could without interrupting the two. Once said player's insides turned to complete mush after staring at those sparkly, hopeful eyes and brightly lit smiles for so long (or if they had a heart attack, either worked), then they would switch out.

That way, no one suffered from cardiac arrest via adorableness overload, and they still all got time to be with their precious ginger.

The movie came next. Ushijima's parents were crazy wealthy, which was why his house was big enough to host twelve volleyball players in the first place (it was about, like, five times the size of Hinata's), so he had a massive flat screen tv set up in the basement that was big enough that it nearly covered the entire back wall. Hinata had almost passed out when he'd seen it _despite the fact_ that he'd been over to the captain's house multiple times before and watched movies on it _numerous times before._

All of them had situated themselves relatively easily after that. The barren basement had quickly turned into a pile of highschool boys surrounded by a plethora of blankets and pillows and whatever fluffy and soft and comfortable things they could find. Ushijima was scrolling through random movie channels trying to find something to watch or buy, and Hinata was just happily munching on the communal bowl of popcorn by himself, occasionally adding his input whenever he saw a show or movie he either liked or dislike.d

Everyone else, for that matter, was currently trying to calm themselves down a few feet away for a hot second before their hearts exploded out of their chest because Hinata was wearing Ushijima's sweatshirt, and he was absolutely _swimming_ in it. He had _sweater paws._ In _the_ most platonic way possible, they wanted to cuddle the daylights out of him.

Eventually, Ushijima had gotten the movie set up, and everyone was forced to come back to the pillow pile and face the kitten-like face that was Hinata Shouyou, which wasn't too bad because he was focused solely on the movie intro logos popping up on the screen and not at them. That was, honestly, a good thing. If he had smiled at them at that moment or even _looked_ at them the wrong way with those sparkly eyes of his, the players of Shiratorizawa were pretty sure they might've exploded.

The movie didn't actually turn out to be half bad. It was some thriller-slash-action mashup where the main character was dropped off in the wilderness with no supplies and forced to survive. It was a rather captivating film, all things considered, and the players watched it practically sprawled on top of each other while munching on the variety of snacks they'd acquired and swaddled in blankets and their own humongous sweatshirts.

They were down to the last thirty minutes of it when Goshiki interrupted the silence that had fallen over the group.

"Ohmygod, _look_."

"What the hell." Tendou hissed, slapping Goshiki's shoulder. "It was just getting to the..." He followed his underclassman's outstretched hand. "Oh."

Hinata, who was pretty much in the middle of the cluster of volleyball players and who they'd last seen wide awake and eating whatever snacks were handed to him, was curled all the way around one of the massive pillows Ushijima had had on hand, sweatshirt pooling around his ankles since his knees were tucked up to his chest and his small frame buried entirely in the soft fabric. The hood had fallen off sometime during the movie, leaving his curls wild, soft, fluffy, exposed, and splayed all across his face and the blanket he was laying on. His eyes were closed, he was still other than the gentle rise and fall of his chest, his freckles were on full display, and his lips had fallen into an unconscious, totally unintentional pout.

"Oh my fucking god." Shirabu, who had rolled over to see whatever Goshiki was so excited about a few moments before, _shot_ up. "Whoever has the remote, pause the movie." No one moved. " _Now."_

There was a quick, five-second scramble between the remaining players before the screen froze and whoever had the remote tossed it to the side. Shirabu joined Tendou and Goshiki to where they were currently crowded around Hinata, staring at him, and was followed soon after by the others.

"He looks like a _puppy_." Semi did a double-take, sucking in a big breath. "Or, like, a baby kitten or something. Ohmygosh, look at his _hair_."

"He's so _cute."_ Tendou squealed, having gotten over his initial shock of seeing this ethereal being near him in the first place. He fingered at his hair, pushing a curl out of his face so they could get a better look at his closed eyes. In turn, Hinata let out a sleepy grumble and snuggled further into the pillow he was clinging to. " _Look at him._ Ohmygosh, I'm going to _die_." He turned towards Ushijima, hands clasped together in front of him. "Can we keep him? _Please?_ I will literally love you forever if you say yes. _Please,_ Ushiwaka?"

"I am...seriously considering it," Ushijima said slowly. He looked something akin to dazed. "If any of you wake him up, I'm kicking you off the team."

"He's so _cute_." Shirabu put his hands on each side of his face in a pitiful effort to stop his smile from growing any wider than it already was. "I'm literally fanboying so hard right now, you don't even know. He makes me want to donate all my money to charity and then make him hot chocolate with marshmallows."

Hinata let out a little groan, murmuring something incomprehensible into the pillow before _burying his face_ into the soft fabric completely.

"I'm literally going to cry." Semi latched onto Shirabu's arm, fingernails squeezing so hard they could've broken skin if they weren't covered by the thick sweatshirt fabric. "Shirabu, I'm serious. I feel tears coming on. I physically cannot take this. My heart is going to explode." He turned to Ushijima, eyes borderline frantic. "Can we _please_ keep him? I have the extreme urge to swaddle him in blankets and feed him all the good food I can find. Ushiwaka, I'm literally _begging_ you."

"I _cannot_ believe Karasuno ever lets this boy out of their sights," Goshiki murmured quietly from beside him. "Wait, ohmygod, do you think they see this all the time? Like, what if Hinata falls asleep in their laps during long bus rides to training camps or something?" He buried his face in his hands. "Now I'm jealous of _Karasuno_ of all people. That's so embarrassing."

"It is totally valid, though." Tendou mused aloud, taking only a moment to nod affirmatively at his underclassman before turning back to Ushijima. "Ushi, I'm literally serious. I'll do everything you say, I won't make up songs about the other teams anymore, I'll literally deep clean your entire house, just _please_ let us keep this child. I'm his _mother_ now. It would be _cruel_ to separate us."

Semi toed Tendou's knee rather harshly. "Wasn't it already established that _I'm_ the one considered Hinata's mother on this team? I actually take _care_ of this precious baby puppy. You'd probably leave him at Walmart or something."

"I am _offended_ -"

"I texted Daichi." Ushijima interrupted, pocketing what was apparently his cell phone. "I said that if he doesn't respond within the next ten minutes, then he forfeits his rights to Hinata and he'll officially join our team. I also attached a picture for good measure." A small _ding_ resounded throughout the room, making Goshiki flinch and Hinata curl further into his side, Shirabu cooing despite himself as he did so. Ushijima took a peek at his phone. His lips curved downward. "Bad news. Daichi said no."

Semi quirked his lips. "Did you seriously ask the captain of Karasuno if we could steal his angel-faced middle blocker at two in the morning?"

"Yes."

"And he _responded?_ "

"Yes." Ushijima frowned, face nor tone holding any trace of joking or sarcasm. "I ask him every other Saturday. He always says no."

_"You ask Daichi if we can have Hinata every other Saturday?"_

"Yes." Ushijima's eyes flickered downward. "Was there something you misunderstood about that statement?"

Shirabu hummed, sitting back on his heels and clasping his hands together so he wasn't tempted any more than he already was to brush Hinata's curls away from his face. "He probably gets texts like those a lot, actually. Have you _seen_ him?" He gestured to the ginger helplessly. His voice lowered to a whisper. "He's so fucking _adorable,_ holy _shit._ "

Ushijima scratched his chin. "He does kind of remind me of a sleeping kitten." He reached his hand over the boy's lower body and put it softly, more _gently_ than anyone thought possible for one of the most dangerous aces in the country, on top of his head, soft ginger strands curling over his fingers as he did so. "A very little baby kitten. I think-"

Hinata shifted.

The room froze.

Hinata murmured something incomprehensible into the neckline of his sweatshirt, eyelashes fluttering for a quick moment as he rearranged himself in his sleep. He rolled over, still mumbling to himself, which made the entire side of his face _land in Ushijima's humongous palm._ He sighed in contentment, the creases that had been present for only a moment between his brows disappearing as he _nuzzled into it,_ nosing it unconsciously before curling back into himself and stilling once more.

The room was silent for a good five-second _._

"Holy _shit,_ dude." Semi whisper-yelled. "You can't move now. Like, you are literally _forbidden_ to move unless Hinata gets off of you."

"Yes." Tendou was staring at the captain with equally starstruck and jealous eyes. "Your hand is now his pillow. There's no changing it. He's chosen you, and you must fulfill your mission."

"That's so fucking cheesy," Shirabu muttered under his breath. "But yeah. Seriously, dude. It's like an unspoken rule. Hinata has the face of a kitten and the energy of a puppy, which make him, like, ten times more adorable than either of those things." He jammed a finger at a stunned Ushijima. "If something cute lays on you, you don't _dare_ move. If you do, you'll go to hell."

Ushijima's brow furrowed, but he looked so undeniably _soft_ and _fonder_ than any of them had ever seen him. "So...am I just supposed to sleep like this?"

"Sleep?" Goshiki sounded scandalized. "Who said anything about _sleep?_ You are going to protect this child with your _life._ You don't have _time_ to sleep." He blinked. "And are you seriously complaining in this situation? I'll gladly switch your hand out for mine if that's what you want."

"Nope. Nope." Ushijima shook his head seriously. "I am fine where I am, thank you, Goshiki."

Semi groaned, throwing his head back. "Ugh, you're so fucking _lucky,_ dude! He's like a _baby._ Just looking at him makes me want to cuddle him to death and never let him leave this house."

"Same."

"Same."

"Same."

"Same."

"Did you guys know that Kurro apparently has a whole photo album filled with pictures of Hinata sleeping?" Goshiki murmured after a moment of silence as the players all stared at the ginger. "Supposedly, there's like forty pictures in it or something."

Tendou sniffed. "Does anyone have his number?"

"I do," Semi answered. "We're in a setter's group chat."

"Can you get him to send it to me? I need something to fill me with unbearable amounts of serotonin after a bad day."

"Me too, please," Ushijima commented softly. His eyes still hadn't moved from where they were trained on Hinata's sleeping face that was cradled in his palm. "That sounds rather nice."

"Y'know," Shirabu commented from the side. "Do you know how much bank we could make if we turned them into scrapbooks or something? We could probably sell one to all the players in the league."

The room was silent for a moment.

"I still want to keep him."

"We know, Tendou.

"He's so goddamn _adorable._ "

"We're well aware, Tendou. We're sitting right here."

Never let it be said that Hinata's ridiculous charms didn't work as well when he was asleep as they did when he was wide awake and smiling.

If anything, they increased tenfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate this i hate this i hate this i hate this this is so badly written I'm so so so so sorry ohmygod I'm literally so ashamed of myself you don't even know.
> 
> anyway, despite this disappointment of a chapter (and don't even try to pity comment i know this wasn't good AUISDFAKJSD) i hope you all have the best day/night, stay safe, stay healthy, and drink lots of water!!
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO SO SO MUCH! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

**Author's Note:**

> YAY! I posted this fic first on FanFiction.net, but it didn't get any attention so I thought that I'd try my luck here! It's my first work here so I don't really know what I'm doing, but I try, you know? Hope you stick around!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Sunshine Siblings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25427371) by [roy_writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roy_writes/pseuds/roy_writes)




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